 Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - A driver was arrested Monday accused of a fiery, destructive collision. Fruit Street between Bowdoin Street and Baseline Road reopened sometime after 10:30 p.m., several hours after police and firefighters closed the road down to battle a vegetation fire ignited by a solo collision. A vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed and destroyed a traffic signal utility box on Fruit Street near the eastbound 210 freeway on ramp around 6:30 p.m. October 5. The vehicle caught fire and set vegetation ablaze, according to Sgt. Barrios of the La Verne Police Department. La Verne Firefighters prevented a home from catching fire. “There was a male taken into custody on suspicion of DUI. No other parties were injured,” Barrios told SGV CityWatch. Crews are expected to work through the night to repair the damaged utility box. ********** Copyright 2026. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - City officials announced Friday that all mandatory evacuations, evacuation warnings and advisories have been lifted as of 6 a.m. September 25. A live press briefing is scheduled for 10 a.m. and authorities are expected to release additional details. Progress was made Thursday when firefighters detected stable temperature rises within the secondary lithium-ion battery affected by a destructive fire, allowing firefighters to approach and render the battery container safer so that they could be de-energized, according to authorities. ********** Copyright 2026. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - Progress was made Thursday in the efforts to cool down utility-scale lithium-ion batteries compromised by fire. The temperature of the two lithium-ion battery compartments rose last night during intermittent checks when firefighters paused cooling procedures, forcing them to continue drenching the batteries to prevent explosion and toxic smoke. Water was shut off to the second battery Thursday morning and the temperature rose, but within acceptable levels, according to La Verne Fire Chief Brandon Coatney. Given the more favorable conditions Thursday, firefighters have not found the need to douse the batteries for several hours, Coatney said. “We have mitigation teams that are on site with us now. We were actually able to make entry into the area and force open the remaining closed doors on battery bank number two, which is the secondary battery that started to go off,” Coatney said, adding that the process will begin to de-energize the batteries. Most of the first unit was consumed by fire and there remains some battery banks in the first unit that are energized. Due to the remaining danger on site, a skeleton crew of volunteers are working to keep water processing underway at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 700 Moreno Ave. Water quality remains unaffected, according to John Bednarski, assistant general manager at the MWD. “It looks like we are hopefully coming to a resolution, but at the end of the day we are still under evacuation, we still have businesses closed. The sooner we get those opened, the better, but we must first think about the safety of our residents and the safety of our personnel and all of our external personnel that are helping us,” said La Verne mayor Tim Hepburn. Roughly 500 residences remain on mandatory evacuation inside a zone with borders of Moreno Avenue to the West, Paseo Avenue, Leaf Avenue and Kendrick Drive to the south, B Street to the east and Route 66 to the north. Take a look at the evacuation map Grace Miller Elementary School, which borders the evacuation zone, will remain closed, as well as nearby parks and recreational facilities. Some businesses along Route 66 remain closed as well. Fire authorities will determine when the mandatory evacuation will be lifted. For residents in the mandatory evacuation zone who have no where to go, call the La Verne Police Department at 909-596-1913 for assistance. ********** Copyright 2026. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - Evacuation orders remain in place for some residences and businesses near a fire-damaged lithium-ion battery storage unit at a water treatment facility Wednesday. The quality of water treated at the facility remains unaffected by the incident. County officials are testing water runoff spent in preventing further fire and toxic smoke, according to Shane Chapman, assistant manager and head of operations at the Metropolitan Water District. Air quality samples are also within normal range, according to the La Verne Police Department. La Verne officers and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies are canvassing residential areas to determine who remains at home and who has evacuated, according to La Verne Police Captain Travis Tibbetts. The Los Angeles County Fire Department Health HazMat team arrived within 45 minutes of the incident Tuesday and began testing air samples, which apparently showed no dangerous levels of toxicity, according to Ernie Hernandez of the LA County Fire Department. Roughly 200 residences remain on mandatory evacuation inside a zone with borders of Moreno Avenue to the West, Paseo Avenue, Leaf Avenue and Kendrick Drive to the south, B Street to the east and Route 66 to the north. Fire authorities will determine when the mandatory evacuation will be lifted. Take a look at the evacuation map: Grace Miller Elementary School, 1629 Holly Oak St., remains closed Wednesday. All other schools are open. First responders were sent to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 700 Moreno Ave., around 11:40 a.m. September 22 on a reported minor explosion at the initial affected battery storage unit. Firefighters continually dosed that battery storage unit and were successful in extinguishing flames, bringing down the heat signature and reducing the toxic smoke plume, according to La Verne Fire Chief Brandon Coatney. An adjacent lithium-ion storage unit was compromised. Thermal imaging from last night showed a consistent temperature hovering in the 60 to 70-degree range. Wednesday morning, the temperature spiked about 20 degrees, forcing firefighters to implement dousing procedures to keep the battery from igniting, Coatney said in a Wednesday morning news conference. The MWD treatment facility is the fifth-largest facility of its kind in the United States, according to Shane Chapman, assistant manager and head of operations at the Metropolitan Water District. The battery components and surrounding solar panel array are utilized to aid in the power needs of the MWD facility, Chapman said. For residents in the mandatory evacuation zone who have no where to go, call the La Verne Police Department for assistance. ********** Copyright 2026. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - A family of bears was reunited Saturday night, freed from a cistern in the La Verne foothills. The Los Angeles County Fire Department worked with La Verne firefighters and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to cut away a section of the cement cistern. A ladder was lowered in to encourage an escape, according to Keith Navarre, public information officer for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “We exited the area and each bear came up by itself,” Navarre told SGV CityWatch. Three cubs and their mom became trapped in the cistern in the 6600 block of Stephens Ranch Road. A family of bicyclists happened to hear screaming from within the belly of the cement structure. They discovered the bears inside. One of the bear cubs escaped by itself, leaving three creatures to be aided by Urban Search and Rescue Teams. The three bears escaped on their own some time around 8 p.m., Navarre told SGV CityWatch. A handful of firefighters remained on scene after the bears were freed to secure the scene. “We were real cautious of the weather being so hot, because we were using rotary saws to cut into the cement. We were cautious about sending sparks somewhere, so we wet down the whole area around the cistern and kept units on scene,” Navarre told SGV CityWatch. Navarre could not comment on if the cistern would be sealed over to prevent future mishaps, although he noted it is a valid concern. “Our goal is to always protect life, property and environment. I think we accomplished that goal safely today. We kept our people safe, there’s no injuries and the bears got out of there safely.” ********** Copyright 2026. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - Firefighters and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are trying to figure out how to rescue two bears that found their way into a cistern Saturday afternoon. Originally three bears, a mother and two cubs, fell into the cistern in the 6600 block of North Stephens Ranch Road August 29. One of the Bears self extricated leaving rescuers trying to figure out a plan to safely remove the others, according to Keith Navarre, public information officer for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. First responders were called to the location at 1:12 p.m. Assisting Fish and Wildlife officers are the La Verne Fire Department and Los Angeles County firefighters with an Urban Search and Rescue Team. ********** Copyright 2026. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - Bonita High School is safe after law enforcement determined two threatening calls were bogus Wednesday. The first threatening call to the high school , 3102 D. St., was made at 7:15 a.m. February 4. La Verne officers arrived and searched to school, determining the threat was not credible, according to the La Verne Police Department. The lockdown was lifted. Just less than one hour later, a second threat was phoned in. With the assistance of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies, the campus was deemed safe after a search and the second lockdown was lifted, according to the La Verne Police Department. “It is currently unknown whether the second call was made by the same individual or if the calls were coordinated,” according to the La Verne Police Department in a written statement. Additional officers will patrol the high school and additional patrols will be conducted at all schools within the city as a precaution, according to the La Verne Police Department. Detectives are determining the source of the calls. Anyone with information on these threats is urged to call the La Verne Police Department Watch Commander at 909-596-1913 or [email protected]. Remain anonymous by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org. ********** Copyright 2025. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - Some freeway lanes remain closed after a fatal crash on the 210 freeway Tuesday night. The crash occurred on the west 210 freeway at the Foothill Boulevard exit December 30. First responders were called around 7:50 p.m. A white Rider truck collided with a silver Mercedes-Benz sedan. California Highway Patrol officers issued an Sig Alert for the No. 2 and 3 lanes, according to the CHP. Traffic logs with the CHP Traffic Management Center initially indicated the silver Mercedes-Benz sedan was traveling the wrong way on the freeway at Fruit Avenue. It is not immediately known if anyone else was injured in the crash. ********** Copyright 2025. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - A suspected package thief accused of stealing from a home was finally caught after running into a flood control channel and fleeing into a home, police said. Police responded to a neighborhood at Fulton Road and Eighth Street around 2 p.m. July 17 to investigate a reported package theft from a doorstep. The suspect ran when approached by officers, according Sgt. Mark Gutierrez of the La Verne Police Department. The suspect, identified as 25 year-old Lennie Calderilla, ran into the nearby Thompson Wash and escaped into a tunnel. La Verne officers, assisted by a La Verne K9, Pomona officers and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s helicopter, searched until about 4:30 p.m., but the suspect was not found. About an hour later the suspect re-emerged and police were once again sent to intercept him. The suspect fled into a house and officers ultimately forced entry to take the suspect into custody. Calderilla was officially charged in Pomona Superior Court with petty theft, delaying an officer and entering a non-commercial dwelling, according to Los Angeles County booking records. ********** 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. Copyright 2025. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not republished in any form without the permission of this organization.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - Police announced the arrest of seven suspects attempting to burglarize a Rodeo Jewelers June 29. The suspects cut a hole through the roof of the jewelry store, 1560 Foothill Blvd., just after 10 p.m. The burglars were well organized, allegedly carrying cellphone signal jammers commonly used to disrupt alarms and communication, according to the La Verne Police Department. Before carrying out the La Verne caper, the suspects allegedly severed a Spectrum fiber optic line to the business, which also knocked out internet access for more than 1 million Spectrum, Frontier and Verizon customers in the region, according to the La Verne Police Department. An eighth suspect was able to flee. This crew is blamed for the well-publicized May 27 heist of Bidrussian Jewelry, 1102 1/2 S. Glendale Ave. The suspects entered through similar means and took an unknown amount of jewelry, according to the Glendale Police Department. The subsequent investigation yielded identification for the suspects who were put under surveillance. Once detectives learned of their impending target in La Verne, law enforcement agencies from La Verne, Glendora, Claremont and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station worked to stop the burglary. Damage caused during the La Verne burglary are estimated at $50,000 for the fiber optic cable and $1,000 to the roof of the business, according to the La Verne Police Department. Arrested are: Jose Millafil, 30 Javier Sepulveda, 24 Cristian Gonzalezaburto, 30 Luka Pazitiani, 27 Vera Matias (no booking information available) Victor Iturrigalopez, 20 and Edson Gonzalez, 33 “All suspects are foreign nationals believed to be involved in similar crimes spanning both their countries of origin and the United States,” according to the Glendale Police Department. All suspects are scheduled for an appearance in Glendale Superior Court July 2, according to Los Angeles County booking records. ********** 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. |
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