Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

COVINA - Police successfully arrested a man who is accused of threatening family members and firing off a shotgun inside a home October 27.

A woman called and claimed her boyfriend, identified at 42-year-old Edwin Maldonado Alicea, was drunk and belligerent. During the call with Covina dispatchers, a shotgun blast was heard over the phone. Dispatchers determined that the suspect had a shotgun, rifle and pistols registered to him, according Covina Police radio recordings.

Police arrived and surrounded the home. All occupants were able to safely escape to waiting officers.

The suspect allegedly refused to surrender, setting off a lengthy barricade.

SWAT officers made use of exterior and interior drones to get eyes on the suspect while a K9 assisted with a search.

Maldonado eventually surrendered. He was booked on suspicion of assault with a firearm on a person, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, and threats of violence, according to Covina Police booking records.

Maldonado posted bond and was released October 29, according to Los Angeles County booking records.

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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

COVINA - Homeland Security has joined numerous local agencies with a search of Covina High School after a series of threats were made against the campus Wednesday.

The calls sounded like prerecorded messages sent to both the school, 463 S. Hollenbeck Ave., and the Covina Police Department. Covina Police began fielding the calls around 9:30 a.m., according to Lt. Josh Turner of the Covina Police Department.

The threats indicated there would be explosions at the school. Covina Police fielded recurring calls over a 10 to 15-minute span, Turner told SGV CityWatch.

Only a handful of teachers and administrators remain on campus.

Roughly eight bomb-sniffing K9s are assisting. The Los Angeles County Fire Department is also assisting along with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Pasadena Police, San Gabriel Police and California Highway Patrol, Turner told SGV CityWatch.

Detectives are trying to pinpoint the location of the calls.

COVINA - Investigators are seeking additional victims of a man who they allege extorted illicit images and video from teen victims and threatened violence if they didn’t comply.

Joel Villegas, 34, allegedly posed as a 17-year-old on Instagram under the name Jay Gomez and username “jay_the_big_beast.” Villegas allegedly asked to exchange phone numbers and GPS locations with the teens and threatened them afterwards, according to the Covina Police Department.

“Once Villegas obtains the minor’s home GPS location, he will demand explicit images and videos from the minor. If the minor refuses, Villegas sends the victim images of firearms, and threatens violence up to murder against his victims and their families,” according to the Covina Police Department in a written statement.

A search warrant was served at Villegas’ home where he was arrested February 9. 

Villegas was booked on suspicion of possessing child porn, criminal threats and extortion, according to the Covina Police Department.

Villegas posted $50,000 bond.

If you or your child have been contacted by this Instagram account or have additional information, you are urged to call Covina Police Detective Seok Lee 626-384-5615. Reference incident #21-25484.

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.