BALDWIN PARK – A driver from Los Angeles died after her vehicle rear-ended a tractor trailer on the I-10 freeway early Sunday.

Sandy Rocha, 36, died at the scene of the crash on the westbound I-10 freeway at Frazier Street. The collision occurred around 4:15 a.m. Rocha allegedly was speeding before the crash, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Rocha drove a 2011 Hyundai.

Rocha’s Hyundai became lodged under the rear of the tractor trailer after the crash.

The driver of the 2013 Freightliner was uninjured, the CHP said.

All westbound lanes were temporarily closed around 4:22 a.m. and by 4:26 a.m., the HOV and No. 1 lane were opened, according to CHP traffic logs.

BALDWIN PARK - It took 94 minutes for firefighters to get flames under control in a shuttered restaurant Wednesday night.

The fire gutted the boarded-up restaurant, 3077 Baldwin Park Blvd. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 6:39 p.m. July 7, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department dispatch reports. 

Just before 7 p.m., a second alarm was dispatched, doubling units to the scene.

One firefighter suffered a leg injury. Another suffered burns to a hand and required treatment at a burn center, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department radio traffic.

54 firefighters worked to knock down flames.

It is not publicly clear what the cause of the fire is.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

BALDWIN PARK – Joe Bartolotti, Baldwin Park Police Captain, died unexpectedly June 17, the police department announced Friday.

Bartolotti rose through the ranks, starting as a cadet before becoming a police officer. He worked as a field training officer, detective, in the special investigations unit, sergeant, lieutenant and captain. He also served twice as acting chief, according to the Baldwin Park Police Department.

“Captain Bartolotti was well known and liked in the community he called home for 32 years,” the Baldwin Park Police Department said in a written statement.

“Bart was a mentor when I needed one and encouraged me personally and professionally. He was a kind and helpful person and my heart goes out to his family, friends and colleagues,” said Sgt. Rudy Gatto of the Irwindale Police Department.

“We are saddened by the sudden loss of Captain Joe Bartolotti. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family and the @baldwinparkpd,” according to the La Verne Police Department in a written statement.

So very sorry to hear about this,” said retired Glendora Police Chief Lisa Rosales. Captain Bartolotti was a kind human being. May he rest in peace!!”

Bartolotti leaves behind a wife and three children.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

BALDWIN PARK - A man in his 20s was shot several times in the lower torso by a Baldwin Park officer after the man allegedly pointed a handgun at police during a traffic stop Friday night.

The shooting took place in the 4700 block of Phelan Avenue around 9:12 p.m. May 21. Baldwin Park Police officers conducted a traffic stop and one of the passengers allegedly exited the vehicle and pointed a handgun at the officers, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

Los Angeles county firefighters treated the man at the scene and he was transported to an area hospital where he is in stable condition, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

The suspect’s handgun was reportedly recovered at the scene. No one else was injured.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
​CityWatch Editor

BALDWIN PARK - A man accused of attacking three people, including bludgeoning to death a 70-year-old woman, was finally removed from a Baldwin Park home after he barricaded himself early Thursday morning.

The attack occurred around 9:40 p.m. in the 3000 block of Mangum Street, March 24. When officers arrived to investigate the disturbance, they found three people wounded to the front of the home. The 70-year-old woman was unresponsive, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

The woman was eventually declared dead at the scene.

The two other victims, a man and a woman, were hospitalized for the injuries and later released.

The suspect, a 27-year-old man who lives in a home to the rear of the property, barricaded himself and refused to comply with commands to surrender.

The Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau released teargas into the home where the suspect was barricaded. Deputies entered with a K9 and eventually took the suspect into custody, according to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

“Upon being cleared from the hospital, he was booked at the Baldwin Park Police Department for murder,” the Sheriff’s Information Bureau said in a written statement.

The suspect’s name has yet to be released.

BALDWIN PARK - Three Los Angeles residents were arrested March 2 after officers uncovered three stolen catalytic converters hidden in a vehicle engine compartment, Baldwin Park Police said.

Officers detained the three occupants of a vehicle near the 13600 block of Los Angeles Street after a vigilant resident called about a theft in progress, according to the Baldwin Park Police Department.

After police stopped the vehicle, a search revealed the hidden property.

Antonio Cole, 23,  Fabian Rincon, 36, and driver Keyanna Zaremba, 30, were all arrested and booked on grand theft and conspiracy charges, Baldwin Park Police said.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

BALDWIN PARK - One person was killed in a crash involving a motorcycle and a Dodge Durango Wednesday evening, a Baldwin Park Police sergeant said.

The crash occurred at Olive Street and Baldwin Park Blvd., December 30. Firefighters were dispatched at 6:49 p.m. The rider was reported dead at 6:56 p.m., according to Dispatch Supervisor Miguel Ornelas of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The motorcyclist was traveling likely at a high rate of speed on Olive Street when the motorcycle collided with a Dodge Durango that was about to make a left turn, according to Sgt. Gonzalez of the Baldwin Park Police Department.

Gonzalez described the rider as a 41-year-old Asian man.

The driver of the Durango was uninjured, Gonzalez told SGV CityWatch.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

BALDWIN PARK - A man and woman were jailed November 12 after being caught riding in a stolen vehicle.

The unidentified driver fled the stolen vehicle before officers could stop him and before the vehicle could also stop. It crashed into a wall and during a foot pursuit, a Baldwin Park officer impaled his left leg on a wrought iron tine, according to the Baldwin Park Police Department.

Around 1:50 p.m., officers found a vehicle in the Walmart lot, 3250 Big Dalton Ave. The vehicle was reported stolen in Lakewood.

During the foot pursuit, an officer had to climb a wrought iron fence to catch the suspect and that is when the officer injured himself, Baldwin Park Police said.

The suspect was caught a short distance from the stolen vehicle.

A female passenger remained in the vehicle and was arrested as well. She was issued a citation and released, Baldwin Park Police said.

A firearm was found inside the vehicle.

The injured officer was treated at the scene by paramedics and was hospitalized for further treatment. He was later released, Baldwin Park Police said.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

BALDWIN PARK - A woman was found dead at the scene of a collision early Thursday.

Officers and firefighters responded to the 1800 block of Puente Avenue around 1:45 a.m. The woman was laying on the asphalt and likely was pushing a cart when struck, according to the Baldwin Park Police Department. Personal property was strewn across the roadway.

The vehicle that hit the woman reportedly fled the scene.

The woman is currently listed as a Jane Doe, according to Investigator Kelsie Weber of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.

It is unclear if the driver, or vehicle has been identified.

Anyone with information on this incident is urged to call Baldwin Park Police at 626-960-1955.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

BALDWIN PARK - An unlicensed teen with a no-bail warrant was arrested, along with his mother, after the teen crashed during a joyride and attempted to stow away in a second vehicle after his mother arrived to the scene.

The crash occurred in the 4000 block of Center Street October 24 around 12:11 p.m. The owner of the vehicle the suspect crashed into tracked down the suspect’s abandoned car after he drove from the crime scene.

“We saw it happen. Fortunately, the car was parked in front of our house,” according to the owner of the vehicle the suspect crashed into. She asked her name not be published.

Police arrived one street east to find the suspect vehicle stopped, according to Sgt. Gonzalez of the Baldwin Park Police Department.

“We jumped in my mom's car and took off to follow the driver. I found the car abandoned one street over and called it in. BPPD showed up. A lady showed up in another vehicle and began emptying the suspect car,” the vehicle owner told SGV CityWatch Editor.

The other woman turned out to be the teen suspect’s mother, Gonzalez told SGV CityWatch.

“The mother arrived to the scene and she was trying to retrieve items from the crashed vehicle. The officer checked the vehicle she arrived in and found the juvenile hiding in there,” Gonzalez told SGV CityWatch.

The teen had a no-bail arrest warrant and was taken into custody. He was taken to a Los Angeles juvenile detention facility, Gonzalez told SGV CityWatch.

The mother was arrested and booked on suspicion of obstructing or delaying an officer, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and harboring a fugitive, Gonzalez told SGV CityWatch.

No one was injured in the crash.