Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor


IRWINDALE - Traffic is jammed on the west 210 freeway just east of Irwindale Avenue after a pedestrian was struck and killed Tuesday.


The driver of a green SUV reportedly struck and killed the pedestrian who, according to initial reports, was running across lanes of the westbound 210 freeway Near Irwindale Ave.October 1.


A Sig Alert, closing down the HOV and No. 1 lane of the westbound side of the 210, is expected to last until around 5 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - A Palmdale man is facing grand theft charges, accused of attempting to steal diesel fuel from a Arco fuel pump Wednesday morning.

Officers responded to Arco, 15875 E. Arrow Hwy., just after 9:30 a.m. September 4 to investigate suspicious activity involving a white cargo van. After detaining a suspect, officers determine he was attempting to steal diesel fuel from a pump and was arrested, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

An investigation of the scene led officers to believe that the van posed a threat to public safety. The gas station and convenience store were taped off and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Arson/Explosives Detail was called to render the van safe.

A bomb squad robot inspected the van.

The area was determined safe. The gas station reopened around 1:15 p.m., according to the Irwindale Police Department.

Sargis Kocharyan, a 30-year-old Palmdale man, was arrested and booked at the West Covina Police Department jail.

Kocharyan is being held without bail ahead of a scheduled appearance in West Covina Superior Court Friday, September 6.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

UPDATE, 7:27 p.m.: Firefighters have stopped forward progress of the Gabriel Fire at 30 acres. The Fire is at least 60 percent contained.

IRWINDALE - A reported 10-acre brush fire is burning inside Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area.

The fire is reportedly burning in a northerly direction and is potentially threatening structures.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department has sent a full brush fire assignment along with two helicopters.

A second alarm has been requested, which would double resources at the scene.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - A 29-year-old stolen vehicle suspect was booked on suspicion of murder July 9, accused of crashing into and killing a bicyclist on Arrow Highway near Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area.

Jonathan Del Carmen Calixto, a Hanford resident, was allegedly driving the stolen white Land Rover eastbound on Arrow Highway when he collided with the bicyclist near the spillway to Santa Fe Dam around 8:31 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

after crashing, Calixto fled the vehicle, but was caught and taken into custody.

The bicyclist was identified as 50-year-old Raul Castaneda, a San Gabriel resident.

Castaneda was in the marked pedestrian crosswalk when struck, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

The marked crosswalk is controlled with traffic signals and further marked by flashing yellow lights warning drivers of the approaching crosswalk.

The Land Rover was originally pursued by El Monte Police after the El Monte Police Department received a call of a vehicle theft in progress at a dealership on nearby Peck Road. Officers stopped their pursuit due to the high-speed danger.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - Police arrested an Irwindale council member June 8 and booked him on suspicion of DUI.

Mark Anthony Breceda, 64, was stopped in the area of Arrow Highway and Irwindale Avenue. Officers responded to a call of an erratic driver around 9:39 p.m. Officers located a vehicle matching the description of the one provided by the caller and conducted a traffic stop. Breceda was arrested and booked on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

Breceda was arrested at 10:09 p.m., according to Los Angeles County booking records. He was cited and released.

Breceda was first elected to the Irwindale City Council March 1999. He was reelected in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2020. She has served as mayor a record nine times, according to his bio on the city of Irwindale website.

Breceda is no stranger to controversy.

In 2013, Breceda and several other city officials were charged by Los Angeles County District Attorney prosecutors with embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds and conflict of interest in allegedly using $200,000 of city money and spending the cash on ritzy trips to New York that occurred between 2001 and 2005. The trips lasted for up to six days at a time and were made under the premise of seeking a higher bond rating for the city, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The alleged adventures in the Big Apple included trips to baseball games, musicals, a stay at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and $12,000 in limo rides.

The prosecution’s case imploded after a series of legal setbacks, which included an appellate court’s rejection of an early round of charges. A judge five years later put the final nail in the coffin and ruled the statute of limitations was exceeded in filing criminal charges.

The charges against Breceda and three other city officials were dropped.

On Christmas morning 2021, a large and noisy party was being hosted at Breceda’s home complete with a mariachi band. At some point an argument allegedly broke out with some members of the band and people within the home. A band member fired off a handgun into the air.

A large number of bullet casings were recovered from the ground outside of Breceda’s home. The alleged gunman was arrested.

During Irwindale City Council meetings held in January 2022, members of the council and the public denounced Breceda for the incident, for which he reportedly claimed ignorance and stated he barely hear the gunshots, that his party was already over and the incident unfolded in the street and not on his property.

Breceda’s term as city council member expires November 5, 2024.

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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

IRWINDALE - Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Detectives are assisting the Irwindale Police Department with a shooting death Sunday.

The incident unfolded near the 605 freeway south of the 210 freeway around 10:30 a.m. May 26. The victim, only described as a male adult, was declared dead at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.

The exact circumstances surrounding the homicide are not publicly known.

The California Highway Patrol has intermittently shut down the transition roads from the east 210 and west 210 freeway to the southbound 605, as well as the Arrow Highway on ramp to the north 605 freeway and Mt. Olive on ramp to the southbound 605 freeway during the operation.

SGV CityWatch readers who traversed the freeway closures witnessed police in tactical gear, guns trained on an unspecified target. A vehicle may also be involved off the side of the freeway.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - A man was found dead Wednesday under the 210 freeway in the northern portion of Irwindale.

First responders were called around 1:44 p.m. regarding a man found unresponsive on a dirt access road near the Bradbury flood control channel under the 210 freeway in the 2300 block of Central Avenue. Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics declared the man dead at the scene, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

Irwindale detectives are determining what led up to the man’s death, while investigators with the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner are determining the cause.

The man’s identity has not been publicly revealed.

Anyone with information on this incident is urged to call Irwindale Police Detective Lucy Aguilar at 626-430-2239, or by email at [email protected]. Remain anonymous by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
​CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - A rider on a reported stolen Suzuki motorcycle decided to play hide & seek with police Sunday after fleeing on foot.

The motorcyclist was found on the extension of the San Gabriel River Trail bike path just east of City of Hope January 21. Officers attempted to stop the motorcyclist around 1:49 a.m., but he refused, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

The pursuit reached speeds of 79 miles an hour. The rider, identified as 33-year-old El Monte man Sergio Alejandro Tejada Perez, bailed from the stolen motorcycle and tried to hide in some bushes near the 605 freeway and 210 freeway interchange.

Perez was booked on suspicion of evading, possession of a stolen vehicle and drug paraphernalia charges.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - Surveillance video helped the police identify and arrest a Baldwin Park men accused of breaking in to a business and tunneling his way into a neighboring restaurant.

Officers discovered an unlocked door to a business in the 15600 block of Arrow Highway December 17 while responding to a burglary alarm around 3:30 a.m. Once inside, officers found a long-gone suspect had tunneled through a wall into neighboring Marino’s Tacos, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

Surveillance video gave officers a suspect description and a search started.

A man matching the description was found in the 5100 block of Azusa Canyon Road. That man, Jose Zavala, 35, was taken into custody.

As the investigation progressed detectives suspected Zavala was responsible for an additional burglary in the 15500 block of Arrow Highway, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

On December 20, the case against Zavala was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and multiple burglary counts were filed against him, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - A Los Angeles man was reportedly caught red-handed carrying the white stuff in the trunk of a car December 7.

Nearly 50 pounds of suspected methamphetamine was discovered in the suspect’s vehicle, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

The traffic stop was conducted in the 100 block of West Sierra Madre Avenue in Azusa as part of an ongoing investigation, according to Sgt. Cornejo of the Irwindale Police Department.

Jose Carrillo Galaviz, a 52-year-old Los Angeles man, was arrested on suspicion of various drug sales and drug transportation charges. He was transported to jail, booked, issued a citation and released due to zero bail provisions, according to the Irwindale Police Department.