 Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor COVINA - Police announced October 30 the arrest of a man who allegedly used an air rifle to destroy property in and around Cypress Elementary school late last year. Justin Lee Estep, 32, is accused of using what has been described previously by investigators as a large bore air rifle to cause destruction at homes and other buildings in the Covina area from November 2019 to January 2020. Estep was booked on suspicion of felony vandalism, according to the Covina Police Department. Covina officers in the patrol division and detective bureau developed new leads in the investigation and identified Estep as a suspect. A search warrant was written and executed, helping investigators to find and seize from Estep’s vehicle a high-powered air rifle wrapped in camouflage cloth, lead projectiles, an air tank and air compressor, according to the Covina Police Department. Additional evidence was discovered inside the suspect’s residence, Covina Police said. The vandalism occurred in the area of the 300 block of W. Cypress St. in unincorporated Covina. The vandalism was first covered by SGV CityWatch at the beginning of the year. At least nine homes suffered various damage after being hit by what deputies described as large bore air rifle bullets.
The shootings took place over a six-week period around unincorporated Covina communities and within Covina city limits. Projectiles hit homes, front yards, backyards and objects on private property, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station. “These are relatively large projectiles, not like what you might expect from a traditional BB or pellet gun. These are actual bullets fired from an air rifle as powerful as some pistols,” the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station said in a written statement from January 2020. Some residents were home when the shots were fired. Incidents occurred:
Such weapons use compressed air to fire the large bore projectiles, usually lead. The sound emitted closely resembles that of a paintball gun. Estep was issued a citation and released October 30, according to Los Angeles County booking records. He was scheduled to make an appearance November 2 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor COVINA - Azusa officers abruptly ended a pursuit of a reckless Hyundai Elantra that found its way into San Gabriel Valley surface streets.
The white Elantra was abruptly stopped by Azusa officers on Hollenbeck Avenue north of Covina Boulevard. One suspect was taken into custody. It is unclear if a second suspect seen earlier in the chase, was found and arrested. The driver and his passenger were sought for possibly reckless driving by East Los Angeles CHP officers on the eastbound 60 freeway west of Peck Road. The driver bypassed traffic by using the right shoulder. Officers attempted to stop the driver on the north 605 freeway near Ramona, but driver kept going into Duarte on surface streets. The chase went onto the East 210 freeway where officers could not keep up while the driver used the shoulder, according to California Highway Patrol radio traffic. After exiting onto Citrus Avenue, the suspect took numerous side streets and stopped at an Azusa apartment complex near Azusa Avenue and Gladstone Street where the suspects ran on foot. One or more of the suspects got back in the car and took off again. San Dimas Sheriff’s deputies joined the chase along with Azusa police officers who used the Pursuit Intervention Technique to stop the driver. POLICE: Crowd Dispersed After Property is Vandalized, Officer Assaulted During Covina Protest Sunday8/3/2020  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor COVINA - Three people were arrested after another large crowd of protestors turned up at the reported home a deputy who fatally shot a man in Gardena.
The three were accused of various crimes, ranging from trespassing, to assaulting a peace officer and lynching — the latter is a confusing use of the term, according to Lt. Ryan Davis of the Covina Police Department. “At some point there was an intoxicated person who came onto the property and pushed an officer,” Davis told SGV CityWatch. “As he was attempting to make an arrest, the crowd basically surrounded the officers and started pulling her away.” The protestor was pulled away from the officer. Eventually, an unlawful assembly was declared and the crowd was dispersed roughly after 7 p.m. with the help of officers from Azusa, Glendora, West Covina and the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station. The woman who allegedly assaulted an officer was later seen near the Covina Police Department and arrested, Davis told SGV CityWatch. One of the people who pulled the protester away from the officer during the arrest was also found and taken into custody, Davis told SGV CityWatch. That person was booked on suspicion of lynching, which the California Penal Code describes as removing someone from police custody by means of a riot, Davis told SGV CityWatch. Police originally responded to the home, which is located near San Bernardino Road and Hollenback Avenue, to keep protesters off the private property. The protests began around 4 p.m. Protesters allegedly placed Post-It notes and larger signs on the deputy’s home and walkway, Davis told SGV CityWatch. Protestors also wrote messages in chalk on a public as well as the private walkway claiming that Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy Miguel Vega is a murderer, Davis told SGV CityWatch. One other person was arrested on suspicion of trespassing and for not providing his name to an officer. Extra Patrols Planned for Charter Oak HS After Fight Escalates To Potential Social Media Threat11/21/2019  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor COVINA - Four teens were arrested Wednesday after a feud between students of the Charter Oak Unified School district devolved to a brutal fight and social media threat of further violence at Charter Oak High School. The reported threat of violence is supposedly to take place at Charter Oak High School Friday, November 22. Covina Police and San Dimas Sheriff’s deputies will have an increased presence to ensure the safety of students and staff, the Covina Police Department said in a written statement. Social media posts suggest that the long-standing feud would allegedly escalate to gunfire and as the posts were shared more and more, people believed a school shooting was planned, according to Lt. Ryan Davis of the Covina Police Department. “There isn’t any specific information that we can confirm as valid at this point,” Davis said. The threat is fallout of an escalating fight between students at Charter Oak High School and students from elsewhere in the Charter Oak Unified School District -- the latter group entered a Charter Oak High locker room and a fistfight broke out November 20, Davis said.
“This was a planned fight. A mutual fight,” Davis said. “One of the the subjects from another school gets this kid into a choke hold and he ends up choking the kid unconscious.” The subject kept the teen in a choke hold, even after the teen lost consciousness. The teen was dropped to the ground and kicked twice in the head, Davis said. Police were notified the evening of the fight. Four suspects were identified. Police took them into custody Thursday, Davis said. Among the charges are assault with a deadly weapon for the primary suspect, fighting on a school campus and trespassing, Davis said. Some of the students were advised to stay away from the high school previously. The Charter Oak Unified School District released a statement on the threat: “The Charter Oak Unified School District, Glendora Police Department and Covina Police Department are aware of a fight at Charter Oak High School and video postings of the fight and are investigating rumors regarding potential additional serious disturbances on the COHS and/or Arrow High School campuses tomorrow, Friday, November 22, 2019. “The entire COUSD administration is being proactive and is planning with the Covina Police Department, Glendora Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff to ensure a presence in the area tomorrow. Additionally, district leadership and Covina Police will be on campus at Charter Oak High School all day on Friday.”  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor COVINA - Three people were arrested Friday morning, accused of burglarizing a church near Charter Oak High School. Two suspects caught in the act of burglarizing the church fled towards Charter Oak High School after deputies investigated a potential third burglary suspect found with stolen property, according to Lt. Mark Skaggs of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Station. A resident near Charter Oak High School, 1430 E. Covina Blvd., called San Dimas deputies at 6:15 a.m. March 29 after discovering discarded musical instruments and a suspicious person in their driveway. When a deputy arrived, the suspicious person was gone, but he returned and was soon detained. “Those instruments we recovered were stolen,” Skaggs said, adding that additional stolen paperwork was found. The suspicious person had more musical instruments and documents deputies believe were stolen from a church on Bonnie Cove Avenue and Cypress Street in Covina.
Deputies went to search the church for signs of a burglary when a male and female suspect fled the building and towards Charter Oak High School, Skaggs said. “One of them ran up to a fence and was detained outside the fence by deputies. A male suspect jumped the fence and double-back eastbound into the original ... location and that’s where deputies detained him,” Skaggs said. Charter Oak High School was briefly placed on lockdown during the search. Covina Police are working in tandem with deputies on the investigation. The suspect found in the driveway was arrested on suspicion of burglary by San Dimas deputies. The two suspects who fled the church were arrested by Covina Police, Skaggs said. Booking information was not yet available.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor COVINA (County) - Four men made off with another man’s cell phone Sunday afternoon after one suspect brandished a handgun. The incident occurred near North Conwell Avenue and East Brookport Street in unincorporated Covina around 4:30 p.m. March 24. The victim claimed he was followed by the suspects in a vehicle. Two of the suspects approached him and demanded his cell phone, according to Lt. Elisabeth Sachs of the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station. A struggle began between the suspects and the victim. The driver then approached the victim and pointed a handgun at him, Sachs said.
The armed suspect took the phone after demanding it from the victim. All the suspects fled in the vehicle. No one was injured, Sachs said. There is no description of the suspects or their vehicle, Sachs said.  Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A despondent man has not been heard from since late Saturday, Sheriff’s deputies said.
Jeremy Cole Hawkins, 20, was last seen in the Perris area around 11:30 p.m. June 23. Hawkins is reportedly feeling suicidal over relationship problems, according to Deputy Kim Alexander of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau. Hawkins is a white man, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 200 pounds, has short brown hair, hazel eyes, is unshaven and sports a mermaid tattoo on his right arm. Hawkins was last seen wearing a black shirt, black jeans and black shoes. He is driving a 2011 Chevy Silverado with California license plate 69148K2. Anyone with information on Hawkins’ whereabouts is urged to contact Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau, Missing Persons Unit Sergeant Nava or Detective Abraham at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).  PHOTO/Stock image. Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor COVINA - Deputies are still working to determine if two men detained are the masked burglary suspect witnessed jumping into a residential yard Monday morning.
Two men were detained about 40 minutes ago after deputies began searching for them near the 3600 block of Grand Avenue, according to Lit. Elisabeth Sachs of the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station. It is unclear if the detained men are the suspects. At least one nearby Covina Unified School District campus went on lockdown during the containment search. |
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