 Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor COVINA - Complaints and concerns from nearby residents and business owners led Covina police to discover and eventually dismantle an illegal gaming parlor October 27.
Detectives spent a few weeks conducting surveillance and gathering intelligence before having enough evidence to author a search warrant and performing a “surround and call-out” operation on the location at 669 S. Second Ave., according to Sgt. Joshua Turner of the Covina Police Department. Part of the complaints from nearby business owners and residents was that vehicles were coming and going at all hours of the night. Officers arrested 16 people. Among the charges to be filed include illegal gambling for those who took part in the games and bookmaking. Police also seized a little more than $7,000, a mix of 11 single and multi-player gaming machines, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, Turner told SGV CityWatch. Officers also located two weapons that were being concealed in the false ceiling at the location. The search warrant was served around 9 p.m. by the Covina Police Special Response Team, with assistance from the Azusa Police SWAT team, Turner told SGV CityWatch. The location is a two-story commercial business that can house up to four units. Walls can be added or taken away to accommodate space, Turner told SGV CityWatch. The owner of the building is reportedly cooperating with investigators and is proactively working to get the tenants out, Turner told SGV CityWatch. The Covina Police Department investigated and dismantled an illegal gambling parlor in May that apparently operated out of what Turner described as an Obama phone store on Hollenbeck Avenue south of Arrow Highway. All 16 people arrested have been cited out of custody. Cases will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration, Turner told SGV CityWatch. |
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