Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

CLAREMONT - One person was wounded by gunfire, another received other injuries in a neighborhood shooting on Salem Court early Wednesday.

Officers responded at 8:20 a.m. after being called to a report of shots fired at a home in the 1800 block of Salem Court April 7. One victim was found laying on the street. He was taken to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center and was pronounced dead, according to the Claremont Police Department.

Firefighters, dispatched at 8:23 a.m., found a victim in traumatic full arrest, according to Inspector Henry Narvaez, public information officer with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

One other person was found with injuries not related to gunfire, Narvaez told SGV CityWatch.

“A 71-year-old male suspect was taken into custody and a firearm was recovered,” according to the Claremont Police Department.

It is unclear if the other wounded person was the alleged gunman.

Written BY AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

CLAREMONT - Police arrested a man, accusing him of intentionally drowning another man at a residential pool June 13.

Masoud Bitarafan, 34, was booked on suspicion of murder and is being held in lieu of $5 million bail in the drowning of a still-unidentified victim in a pool in the 900 block of Appalachian, according to the Claremont Police Department in a written statement.

Los Angeles County firefighters responded to the scene around 7:50 p.m. Saturday.

Police responded about 8 p.m. The victim was not breathing and had no pulse. He was taken to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased, according to the Claremont Police Department.

“Police determined that the victim and suspect were in the pool together. While in the pool, the suspect held the victim under the water, which is believed to have contributed to his subsequent drowning and death,” the Claremont Police Department said in a written statement.

Video surveillance apparently helped contribute to Bitarafan’s arrest.

Bitarafan is scheduled to appear at Pomona superior Court June 16.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

CLAREMONT - One person was declared dead on arrival after a vehicle crashed below Mt. Baldy Road Wednesday.

The crash on Mt. Baldy Road at North Padua Avenue was dispatched to firefighters at 4:43 p.m. May 13.

Firefighters will be working a difficult extrication due to the distance the vehicle crashed and the terrain.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

CLAREMONT - A man was pulled from a chimney just before 11 a.m. after becoming stuck Saturday morning.

The man is considered a burglary suspect and was rescued by firefighters at 794 Via San Simon, according to Cheryl Sims, dispatch supervisor with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Firefighters were called to the home at 10:09 a.m. The man was trapped about seven to eight feet down the chimney, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department radio traffic.

The suspect is being taken to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center to be medically cleared for Claremont Police to arrest him.

A Claremont Police supervisor was unavailable to provide information.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

CLAREMONT - Firefighters knocked down a house fire that destroyed a bedroom and a portion of an attic Saturday.

The fire burned a home in the 2900 block of North Mountain Avenue and was dispatched to firefighters at 11:39 a.m. The fire was knocked down at 12:01 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

All residents reportedly evacuated and a search of the home yielded no victims, firefighters said.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

MOUNTAINS - Firefighters are busy working on a half-acre to one-acre brush fire along Mt. Baldy Road.
 
The fire is burning in medium to heavy brush near Mt. Baldy Road and Shinn Road. The fire was dispatched at 3:03 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
 
Firefighters with San Bernardino County are assisting Los Angeles County units.