Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner named the man killed in a collision that wound up in a resident’s rear yard May 31.
William Elftman Jr., 48, was behind the wheel of a 2011 Hyundai Sonata eastbound on Baseline Road west of Saint Mark Avenue at high speed. As Baseline curved to the right, Elftman continued straight, eventually striking a curb, according to the California Highway Patrol. The Sonata further struck a retaining wall and rolled over, coming to a rest in the rear yard of a home. The Sonata caught on fire. Residents used a garden hose to stop the fire’s spread, according to the California Highway Patrol. “Prior to this crash, La Verne Police Department received at least two 9-1-1 phone calls of witnesses reporting the Hyundai's driver as driving erratically and at a high rate of speed within the city of La Verne. In addition, a witness even flagged down a La Verne Police Department officer to report the reckless driver,” according to the California Highway Patrol in a written statement. Alcohol and drugs are not considered to be factors at this time, according to the California Highway Patrol. Any witnesses or anyone with information on this crash is encouraged to call California Highway Patrol Officer Kyle Croxford from the Baldwin Park Area Office at 626-338-1164. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - Two people are dead after a vehicle crashed in the rear yard of a home in unincorporated La Verne Tuesday morning.
Firefighters were dispatched to the 4300 block of Saint Mark Avenue around 9:19 a.m. May 31. The vehicle burst into flames after the crash. The two dead inside the vehicle will require extrication from the twisted wreck. Initially, it appears that the vehicle was eastbound on Baseline Road, hopped the curb, tore a path across a residential front yard, crashed through a cinderblock wall and wrought iron fence until it finally smashed into the rear yard on Saint Mark. Eastbound baseline Road is closed from Fruit Avenue by La Verne Police. The California Highway patrol is investigating. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE – Natural causes may be behind the death of a sanitation worker pronounced dead near his garbage truck Monday morning.
Police and firefighters were sent to investigate a reported medical emergency and a man down near a Waste Management truck along Wheeler Avenue around 10:15 a.m. July 12, according to Sgt. Wells of the La Verne Police Department. The man died in the 6300 block of Wheeler Avenue. He was pronounced deceased at 10:51 a.m., according to Sarah Ardalani, public information officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Los Angeles County Firefighters treated the man, but he could not be saved, Wells told SGV CityWatch. The man is only described as being in his 60s. His name has not yet been revealed, pending notification of next of kin, Ardalani told SGV CityWatch. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - A man wanted on suspicion of child sex abuse died in City of Industry after crashing at the end of a pursuit with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol Thursday.
Raul Munoz Jr., 62, was identified by the abuse victim who claimed that he sexually assaulted her over a period of six years beginning when she was 8, according to the La Verne Police Department. Munoz, a La Verne resident, was known to the victim. The investigation began June 10, 2020 in the 1000 block of Baseline Road. After investigating, the case was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, which filed charges, including continual sexual abuse of a child and lewd acts upon a child, La Verne Police said. A felony warrant was issued for Munoz’s arrest. During the pursuit, CHP officers received information that Munoz was potentially armed and possibly suicidal, according to Rodrigo Jimenez, public information officer for the California Highway Patrol Baldwin Park Office. “The vehicle entered a private parking lot (southeast corner of Grand Avenue and Baker Parkway) and, for unknown reason, the vehicle traveled directly into a steel shipping container at a high rate of speed,” Jimenez said in a written statement. Officers gave verbal commands for Munoz to surrender, but they did not receive an answer. When they approached the vehicle, they discovered Munoz was dead. Munoz’s suicide was the result of blunt force injuries, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. It is not immediately clear if the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s pursuit was related to the sex abuse case. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - One person was killed after a vehicle collided with a pedestrian and a van on the right shoulder of the east 210 freeway east of Fruit Street, the California Highway Patrol said.
Only the HOV lane remains open. The No. 1, 2 and 3 lanes are closed for traffic. A good Samaritan follower of the driver of a white BMW as the vehicle swerved all over freeway lanes at fluctuating speeds. The driver of the BMW struck the pedestrian near a white work van on the right shoulder just before 9 p.m., according to the CHP. The white BMW was found stopped along the freeway east of the collision. It is unclear if a suspect is detained or was found at the scene. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - A male was found dead in a motorhome in the L.A. Fitness parking lot Thursday morning, police said. Police searched the parking lot, 1275 Foothill Blvd., September 5 around 12:30 a.m. regarding a missing persons case. Officers found a dead male inside a motorhome, according to the La Verne Police Department. La Verne Police did not elaborate on a possible cause of death and the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner has not performed an autopsy.
Officers responded to L.A. Fitness regarding a call of the missing person possibly being in the area. The male’s identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - Police were pursuing the driver of a red Acura Integra who failed to yield and eventually crashed into a second car Thursday night, Police said. The crash killed the driver of the Integra and the driver of a black Toyota Corolla at the intersection of White Avenue and College Lane. Two passengers in the Integra and one in the Corolla are still hospitalized in critical condition, the La Verne Police Department said. La Verne Police attempted a traffic stop on the Integra’s driver who ran a stop sign at White Avenue and Arrow Highway around 8:50 p.m. August 29.
The Corolla’s driver has been identified by La Verne Police as 68-year-old Marlet Reyes of La Verne. The suspect driver has not yet been identified. The California Highway Patrol Major Accident Investigation Team is investigating the crash. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - An 89-year-old pedestrian died after being struck by a vehicle July 31, police said. The crash occurred on eastbound Arrow Highway at A Street around 12:25 p.m. Emergency personnel arrived, located the victim laying in the roadway and transported the man to an area hospital where he later died, according to the La Verne Police Department. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation. All eastbound lanes of Arrow Highway from Wheeler to A Street and one westbound lane from A Street to B Street were closed for several hours during an investigation. Street Lanes Were Shut Down for Several Hours. CLICK TO READ MORE The crash occurred on eastbound Arrow Highway at A Street around 12:25 p.m. Emergency personnel arrived, located the victim laying in the roadway and transported the man to an area hospital where he later died, according to the La Verne Police Department.
The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation. All eastbound lanes of Arrow Highway from Wheeler to A Street and one westbound lane from A Street to B Street were closed for several hours during an investigation. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - A female passenger was declared dead at a local hospital July 22 after becoming critically-injured in a multi-vehicle crash. The collision occurred at Foothill Boulevard and Moreno Avenue around 2:40 p.m. July 22. The passenger was found unconscious & not breathing in one of the vehicles, according to the La Verne Police Department. La Verne Firefighters rendered aid at the scene and transported the passenger to a hospital where she was declared dead, La Verne Police said. The La Verne Police Major Accident Investigation Team is investigating. Affected roads were closed for hours, but were reopened by 8:11 p.m. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - A 22-year-old Pomona man was identified as the person struck and killed by a commuter train Saturday. Jesus Perez was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. He died of multiple blunt-force trauma. His death was ruled accidental. La Verne Police received the call of the collision at 1:02 p.m. March 2. The body was discovered several hundred feet west of the crossing at San Dimas Canyon Road. Eastbound train 362 was headed to Downtown San Bernardino when it struck Perez. No one else was injured. Multiple trains were cancelled during the investigation, with one train being delayed by one hour and 45 minutes. Bus bridges assisted some delayed riders, according to Metrolink.
Near Perez’s body was a memorial for a fatal train versus pedestrian crash from August 3, 2016 where a woman was also hit. |
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