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 - An alleged DUI driver and his alleged DUI passenger were arrested Friday morning after a crash sent their vehicle plunging into a rock quarry.

The driver, David Lorenzo Lopez, a 32 year old Downey resident, allegedly crashed through the front gate of Vulcan Materials, 16005 Foothill Blvd. When officers arrived, they found a sedan had crashed into a dirt berm and became stuck, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

Lopez was arrested at 2:19 a.m. Friday and booked on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Lopez’s 26-year-old passenger, Alexander Vincent Storace, a Glendora resident, was booked on suspicion for public intoxication.

Both men were released on citations after sobering up, the Irwindale Police Department said.

No injuries were reported.

IRWINDALE – A driver was uninjured after crashing into and causing extensive at an office building.

The crash occurred Saturday, June 18 at 3:18 a.m. in the 16000 block of East Arrow Highway near the Civic Commerce Center. The driver slammed into a corner of the building, destroying the windows and much of the office interior.

“Officers contacted the driver of the pick-up truck at the scene, who miraculously was not injured in the collision. He was, however, found to be intoxicated and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of DUI,” according to the Irwindale Police Department in a written statement.

Nicholas Anthony Hernandez, 26, was booked and eventually released on citation pending a court date, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

The office was red-tagged for inspection.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - A 29-year-old woman is accused of plowing a vehicle into a closed auto business Jan. 10, causing a fire and extensive damage.

Joscelyne Christine Flores, a Covina resident, is accused of causing the vehicle she drove to jump a couple of raised islands, forcing it to plow through the roll-up door of Royal Oaks Custom Paint and Body, 14314 Arrow Hwy., late Monday.

The collision and ensuing fire caused extensive damage to not only the building, but several customers’ vehicles, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

Flores was briefly hospitalized and later booked on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Flores was issued a citation and released, according to Los Angeles County booking records.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE – A woman accused of driving while intoxicated and her passenger were hospitalized October 24 after crashing into and damaging six parked vehicles at an auto body shop.

The collision occurred in the 14300 block of Arrow Highway around 3:35 a.m. The driver, identified as 22-year-old Ashley Stephanie Juarez of San Diego rolled her 2019 Kia Optima, which broke through a fence at the auto body shop, according to Sgt. Rudy Gatto of the Irwindale Police Department.

Juarez and her 24-year-old passenger were taken to County/USC Medical Center. Their condition was not immediately known.

Vehicles were damaged at CCLA Motors, 14340 Arrow Hwy.

Juarez was not formally arrested due to being hospitalized Sunday, but was cited in the field. Filing of charges is pending completion of the investigation, Gatto told SGV CityWatch.

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 – A woman died after being struck by a driver who was found in West Covina Saturday morning, Irwindale Police said.

The suspect, Adrian Ortega, a 21-year-old La Puente man, was stopped by West Covina Police at Francisquito Avenue and Sunset Avenue shortly after the deadly crash and linked Ortega’s vehicle to the hit and run, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

Police responded to a reported bicyclist down on eastbound Huntington Drive on the San Gabriel River bridge around 1:40 a.m. March 27. The woman suffered significant traumatic injuries and Los Angeles County Firefighters declared her dead at the scene.

Irwindale officers went to the West Covina traffic stop and took Ortega into custody. He was booke don suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, felony drunk driving and felony hit and run charges. He was held in lieu of $100,000 bail until being released on bond, according to Los Angeles County booking records. 

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.