Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - A DUI/driver license checkpoint is scheduled for Friday, August 20, the Irwindale Police Department announced recently.

The checkpoint will take place at an undisclosed location from 6 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday, August 21.

Checkpoint locations are primarily chosen on historical data of DUI collisions and arrests, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

“The safety of our community is and always will be our mission,” according to Irwindale Police Chief Ty Henshaw. “We are looking for impaired drivers because driving under the influence is dangerous and puts others on the road at risk.”

Drivers charged with a first-time DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended license, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

Funding for this checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

IRWINDALE – The man and woman struck by gunfire from a dark-colored vehicle August 12 were hospitalized with injuries considered not life-threatening, police said.

Irwindale Police responded to the northwest corner of Arrow Highway and Vincent Avenue around 11:07 p.m.  to investigate the shooting. The man and woman who were shot while inside a vehicle were taken to a local hospital, according to Sgt. Rudy Gatto of the Irwindale Police Department.

It was not immediately clear Monday morning if any suspect was identified or in custody.

IRWINDALE – Two people were transported to local hospitals after a shooting incident Thursday.

​The shooting took place in the area of Arrow Highway and Vincent Avenue, according to Sgt. Rudy Gatto of the Irwindale Police Department.

Additional information from the Irwindale Police Department is forthcoming.

Firefighters were dispatched just after 11 p.m. to Vincent Avenue and Arrow Highway to treat the wounded, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department dispatch reports.

Initially, Azusa Police responded to the scene and summoned Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies to the scene to determine jurisdiction, ultimately yielding to Irwindale Police, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s radio traffic.

The condition of the wounded people was not publicly known.​

IRWINDALE – A report of a suspicious vehicle parked at a business August 6 led to the arrest of two men accused of pilfering property from an Irwindale business.

The theft occurred early Friday at a business in the 5300 block of Irwindale Avenue. The suspects had 75 stolen rims in their possession; rims valued at more than $1,650, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

The stolen rims were all eventually returned to the business owner.

Arrested were 47-year-old Jeffrey Charles Hamlin of Ontario and Rogelio Rodriguez, Jr., a 43-year-old Baldwin Park man. Both were booked on suspicion of grand theft. They were additionally booked on suspicion of possessing counterfeit currency and had active warrants for their arrests from other agencies, Irwindale Police said.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE – A vigilant resident alerted police to a quartet of taggers marking up Jardin de Roca Park August 3.

The vandalism was reported around 1:45 a.m. at the park, 5051 N. Irwindale Ave. Police detained the suspects accused of vandalizing signs, walls, benches, trees and other public areas, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

Preliminary estimates of damage caused exceed $2,000, according to the Irwindale Police Department in a written statement.

Two juveniles and two 19-year-olds were booked on suspicion of felony vandalism charges.

The 19-year-olds were identified as Cristian Magana and Isaiah Joseph Meeker, both Rosemead residents. Both men were issued citations and released the day of their arrest, according to Los Angeles County booking records.

IRWINDALE – No one was injured and no structures were damaged after a brush fire scorched 26 acres at Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area August 1.

Crews on the ground and in the air kept the brush fire from growing larger. The fire also slowed after creeping up to the Miller Brewery property line.

The fire was dispatched just before 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Arriving firefighters reported seeing smoke several miles away and immediately called for a full first-alarm brush fire, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Crews on the ground had structure protection measures in place to protect the brewery, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The fire appeared to burn in an area west of the Dam’s nature center, an area known for homeless encampments and frequent brush fires.

Several engines remained on scene to conduct a fire watch over the course of the night and into the morning.

The cause is under investigation.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

4:56 p.m.: Roughly 15 acres of vegetation have burned at Santa Fe Dam, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Two helicopters have arrived on scene to aid crews on the ground.

IRWINDALE - A grass fire with a rapid rate of spread is burning inside Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area in Irwindale Sunday afternoon.

As of 4:35 p.m., roughly one half acre has burned inside the dam. Units en route to the dam could already see a very large smoke column from several miles out. A full first alarm brush response is being sent to the Dam, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.