 PHOTO/Courtesy of the Irwindale Police Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor IRWINDALE – An alleged DUI driver was jailed after causing a collision that overturned one vehicle and sent three people to nearby hospitals. Eric Vargas, a 28-year-old Baldwin Park man, was arrested and booked on suspicion of DUI. The collision occurred in eastbound lanes of Live Oak Avenue at the southbound 605 freeway on ramp January 19. All three drivers remained at the scene, according to Sgt. Rudy Gatto of the Irwindale Police Department. The crash occurred around 8:40 p.m. “During the investigation, it was determined that one of the drivers was driving while under the influence of alcohol at the time of the traffic collision. Witnesses to the collision also reported seeing the driver driving his vehicle in excess of 100 miles per hour just prior to the collision,” Gatto said.
Vargas was medically cleared before being booked at the West Covina Police jail. He was held in lieu of $100,000 bail, Gatto said.  PHOTO/Courtesy of the Irwindale Police Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor IRWINDALE - A Metrolink train stopped just short of demolishing a car that became stuck on the tracks after hitting another vehicle Wednesday morning. The car was stuck on the railroad tracks on Azusa Canyon Road near Los Angeles Street around 8:05 a.m. January 15. Witnesses to the collision helped pull the driver from the stuck car, according to Sgt. Rudy Gatto of the Irwindale Police Department. The Metrolink engineer saw the crash as the train approached and stopped east of the crossing, Gatto said. The drivers remained at the scene and are cooperating with the collision investigation. Three adults were treated on scene for minor injuries and were hospitalized. Alcohol and drugs do not appear to be factors in the crash, Gatto said.  PHOTO/Courtesy of the Irwindale Police Department.  PHOTOS/Courtesy of the Irwindale Police Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor IRWINDALE - Search warrants were served in Pasadena December 19, leading to the arrest of two men accused of burglarizing an Irwindale home and stealing the victim’s vehicle. Robert Mendoza, a 19-year-old Pasadena man and Edward Virgen, a 19-year-old Altadena man, were arrested on suspicion of burglary, taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent and possession of stolen property, Irwindale Police said in a written statement. The suspects are accused of breaking in to a home in the 5100 block of North Allen Drive February 12, 2019. The home was ransacked: cash and more than $25,000 in property was taken along with the victim’s vehicle.
The stolen vehicle was later located in Downey, Irwindale Police said. A bulk of the taken cash was also recovered. Both subjects were booked at the West Covina City Jail, where they are each being held on $85,000.00 bail, Irwindale Police said.  PHOTO/Courtesy of the Irwindale Police Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor IRWINDALE - Charges were formally brought against a man and 16-year-old boy, both accused of attempted murder in an October 15 shooting. Detectives developed information leading to the identification and arrest of 23-year-old Joshua Noel Gomez and the teen boy. Both were formally charged by the los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office December 17, according to the Irwindale Police Department. Gomez, a West Covina resident, and the teen are both documented gang members. They were charged with two counts of attempted murder and shooting at an occupied vehicle. Two people seated in a vehicle parked in a driveway in the 4600 block of Nora Avenue were fired at nine times by a gunman who was driven to the location. The intended victims were uninjured, but their vehicle was hit by several rounds, Irwindale Police said.
Gomez is being held in lieu of nearly $5.5 million bail in the North County Correctional Facility. The teen is being held at the Los Angeles County Probation Department’s Central Juvenile Hall, Irwindale Police said.  PHOTO/Irwindale Police. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor IRWINDALE - Two people escaped injury after a gunman shot at them October 15. The shooting took place around 11:10 p.m. in the 4600 block of Nora Avenue. A vehicle occupied by three people stopped in front of a home on Nora Street. One occupant exited and fired at the intended victims, Irwindale Police said. Nine shots were fired. Only the victims’ vehicle was hit, Irwindale Police said. The gunman and the two other occupants escaped in a small black four-door sedan at a high rate of speed north on Nora Avenue then west on Calle Burolla.
The sedan sported silver rims. No suspect descriptions were provided. Anyone with information is urged to call Irwindale Police Detective Corporal Armando Lopez at 626-430-2290. He can also be emailed at alopez@irwindaleca.gov.  PHOTOS/Irwindale Police. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor IRWINDALE - A Paramount resident was jailed Tuesday after a traffic stop for a vehicle code violation revealed narcotics and loaded weapons. A traffic stop was performed in the area of the 605 freeway and Los Angeles Street around 3:23 p.m. October 15. During a vehicle search, two loaded handguns, heroin and methamphetamine were located, Irwindale Police said. The driver of a red 2013 Chevy Camaro was initially stopped for a registration violation, but was found to be unlicensed, according to Sgt. Rudy Gatto of the Irwindale Police Department. The driver was cited for the registration violation and for driving unlicensed.
“During the vehicle impound, they discovered two guns concealed in the car. They were both loaded and both unregistered,” Gatto told SGV CityWatch. Officers also found extra gun clips, ammunition and about two pounds of meth and heroin, Gatto said. Renan Magaña-Meza, 37, was booked on suspicion of multiple felony charges, including possession of narcotics for sale and weapons violations.  PHOTO/From Unsplash. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor IRWINDALE - Two boys may have come into contact with a bat that was later confirmed to be suffering from rabies at the Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area, county health officials announced Monday. Two unidentified, unaccompanied boys were possibly witnessed prodding the bat with a stick as it lay on a sidewalk near a maintenance office at the dam, 15501 E. Arrow Hwy., August 4. It is unclear if there was direct contact with the bat, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “Any contact whatsoever with a rabid bat is a very serious health concern. Rabies is a fatal disease and requires timely preventive medical treatment,” according to the department of public health. Officials said while the length of time between exposure to rabies and onset of rabies illness is usually three to eight weeks, in some persons it can be considerably longer. “Parents whose children may have been at the Santa Fe Dam during this time are asked to talk with their children to determine if they may have touched the bat,” the department of public health said. “Individuals who touched or may have had contact with this bat should seek medical treatment from their physician immediately.”
Officials stated 41 conformed rabid bats have been found in L.A. County in 2019. If a dead or dying bat is found, do not handle it. Contact a local animal control agency to collect the bat for rabies testing, the department of public health said. Report possible bat bites to people or pets to Veterinary Public Health at 213-288-7060.  PHOTO/Courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor IRWINDALE - A man wanted on suspicion of vandalizing signal equipment along the Gold Line railroad tracks around the Duarte area was arrested after fleeing authorities August 21. The unidentified suspect was recognized from a wanted poster circulated by deputies. A metal recycling center employee recognized the suspect’s face and called authorities, according to Ramon Montenegro, public information officer for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau. TSB detectives, deputies, Irwindale Police and the Sheriff’s Temple Station worked to establish a containment search when the suspect ran from TSB deputies who tried to detain him, Montenegro told SGV CityWatch. The suspect was attempting to sell stolen materials at an Irwindale recycling center in the 2400 block of Buena Vista Street around 11 a.m. Wednesday. The suspect fled over walls and ran through neighboring businesses before being caught a short time later in the 2300 block of Bateman Avenue, according to Irwindale Police.  PHOTO/Courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The suspect is possibly behind an incident August 21 around 2:30 a.m. when the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority became aware of signal and switch issues in Duarte. Officials located damaged equipment by someone who stole wire and attempted to steal cable, Montenegro said.
The Wednesday vandalism caused minor delays during p.m. rush hour service. Bus bridges were required during emergency repairs. Similar crimes have occurred over the past several months, including a wire theft incident that resulted in a days-long closure of Gold Line stations in Azusa July 13. The suspect was booked on suspicion of grand theft, tampering with a railroad system (a federal crime), felony vandalism, and possession of a controlled substance. Detectives may consider adding additional charges, Montenegro said. Since the investigation continues, the suspect’s name will not be released.  PHOTO/Irwindale Police. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor IRWINDALE - Drugs and alcohol do not appear to be factors in a crash that sent a car into the glass doors of a market Monday night. The crash occurred at Ayutla Meat Market, 16022 Arrow Hwy., around 8:12 p.m. The driver likely mistook the gas pedal for the brake as he was parking and sent the car through the front of the market, according to the Irwindale Police Department.
“A female clerk inside the market was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries,” Irwindale Police said. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with investigators.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor IRWINDALE - A small brush fire has ignited south of Santa Fe Dam In Irwindale.
The fire has burned at least two acres in the riverbed south of Live Oak Avenue west of the 605 freeway. Firefighters have hoses on both flanks of the blaze, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The fire is burning all on locally-controlled land. The fire has the potential to burn five to seven acres. |
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