Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - All lanes of the southbound 605 freeway near Ramona Boulevard are closed after a car crashed head-on into a semi truck, the CHP said.

The driver of the wrong way vehicle struck the semi around 10:48 p.m. The victim died at the scene and is still trapped inside the vehicle which is pinned under the semi truck, according to the California Highway Patrol.

All southbound freeway lanes north of Ramona Boulevard will remain closed until possibly 2 a.m., the CHP said.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE – A man in his 40s was hospitalized Monday after being saved from a drug overdose near Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area.

Police and firefighters responded to Irwindale Avenue and Gladstone Street around 5:28 p.m. June 29 for a drug overdose. With only being given the general location to work on, officers searched the area on foot until finally locating the victim, according to Sgt. Rudy Gatto of the Irwindale Police Department.

The camp and victim were located about 40 or 50 yards into the brush. The victim was breathing, but unconscious. Los Angeles County Firefighters responded and administered Nalaxone, Gatto told SGV CityWatch.

Nalaxone, administered through the nose, is an opioid inhibitor manufactured to reverse drug overdoses.

The victim was taken to an area hospital.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - A victim was robbed of a backpack and was shot in the face near the border with Duarte Monday morning.

The victim was attacked walking east along the 3000 block of Huntington Drive over the San Gabriel riverbed around 2:30 a.m. June 22.

Two men in a dark-colored four-door sedan approached the victim. A passenger exited and tried to pull away the victim’s backpack, according to Sgt. Rudy Gatto of the Irwindale Police Department.

The victim and suspect fell to the ground and struggled for the backpack. They both rose to their feet and continued struggling.

“At that point, the driver of the vehicle, also a male adult, pointed a black revolver out of the passenger window and fired one gunshot at the victim, striking him in the face/cheek,” Gatto said in a written statement.

The victim gave up his backpack and both suspects fled in the sedan east on Huntington Drive to Foothill Boulevard and disappeared from view, Gatto said.

The victim was treated for his injuries and was later released.

Both suspects were described as black males in their mid-20s. Both wore dark clothing.

Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to call Detective M. Campos at 626-430-2239, or email mcampos@irwindaleca.gov. Information can be provided anonymously by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, through the P3 Tips mobile app or at lacrimestoppers.org.

IRWINDALE - A resident was cited for storing fireworks without a permit after police were told of a truckload of fireworks being unloaded at a home June 17.

Police eventually confiscated 70 boxes, nearly one ton, of fireworks from the residence and from inside a box truck that delivered them, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

Most of the 70 boxes contained legal safe and sane fireworks. Officers did find three cases of illegal fireworks, according to Sgt. Rudy Gatto of Irwindale Police.

Officers responded to a home in the 16100 block of Central Avenue around 10 a.m. Wednesday morning. A witness saw the fireworks being unloaded from the box truck and called police, Gatto told SGV CityWatch. ​

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - Police tracked down and arrested a man who is accused of robbing two people at gunpoint and assaulting one of the victims.

Hugo Wilfredo Portillo, 41, was located and arrested with the help of Barstow Police June 16. The 2002 Honda Accord he drove, as well as additional evidence in the incident were found, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

Portillo is accused of robbing two victims of gasoline at gunpoint at a business in the 200 block of Live Oak Avenue June 9. He allegedly attacked one of the victims, pistol whipping him, kicking, hitting and threatening him, Irwindale Police said.

Irwindale police detectives also believe Portillo set an arson fire that ignited at a structure at the same location the night of the assault.

“Detectives from the Barstow Police Department, using information provided by detectives from the Irwindale Police Department, served the arrest warrant at Portillo’s home in the city of Barstow, where Portillo was arrested without incident. The 2002 Honda Accord, as well as other relevant evidence, was seized during the course of the investigation,” Irwindale Police said in a written statement.

Irwindale detectives transported Portillo back to Los Angeles County and booked him at the Irwindale Police Department for attempted homicide, armed robbery, criminal threats and arson related charges, as well as violation of the terms of his probation, Irwindale Police said.

Portillo is being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles on $2 million bail ahead of a scheduled court appearance.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - A construction worker was airlifted after being severely injured at a work site Friday.

A worker sustained traumatic injuries at a work site at 16223 E. Arrow Hwy., just after 12:33 p.m. June 5., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The worker’s leg reportedly became trapped in a conveyor belt, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department radio traffic.

A helicopter landed just north of the construction site where paramedics loaded the worker to be flown to an area hospital.

“Cal OSHA is conducting an investigation into the matter,” according to the Irwindale Police Department.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - The California Highway Patrol is investigating a dead body discovered near the Lower Azusa Road on ramp Tuesday morning.

Officers were called to the scene at 7:42 a.m. A Sig Alert was issued at 8:15 a.m. for the on ramp. The Sig Alert was closed at 9:49 a.m., according to Officer Moises Marroquin of the California Highway Patrol.

Marroquin did not have any more details surrounding the response to the initial call.

Firefighters were dispatched to a cardiac arrest call at 7:43 a.m. at that location, but further details from the Los Angeles County Fire Department were not available.

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner will investigate the cause of death.

IRWINDALE - A man accused of threatening the workplace that furloughed him was taken into custody and his cache of weapons was located.

Eder Simiano, a 33-year-old Upland transient, was found after countless hours of surveillance was conducted and a number of search warrants were served on the Upland transient. Detectives seized a number of weapons, a cache of ammunition and a machete, according to Sgt. Rudy Gatto of the Irwindale Police Department.

The incident unfolded at a business in the 4900 block of Fourth Street in mid-April.

IRWINDALE - Eight workers at a custom cabinet and finishing supplier are suffering from COVID-19, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health recently reported.

Four of the eight workers at Decore-ative Specialties, 4414 Azusa Canyon Rd., confirmed with COVID-19 are symptomatic, county public health officials said.

Decore-ative Specialties offers RTA cabinets, doors, drawer fronts, moldings and more. The business has its main office in Monrovia, but has two locations in Irwindale, one in Northern California and one in North Carolina.