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 - A teen has apparently disappeared from a juvenile detention center above the city and deputies are searching for him.
Staff at Camp Joseph Paige, 6601 North Stephens Ranch Rd., discovered the 15-year-old was missing just before 7 p.m. He was possibly seen fleeing near the Marshal Canyon Golf Course, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s radio traffic. The teen is Hispanic, stands about 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds, has long black hair and was wearing a grey long sleeve shirt and grey pants. The teen is accused of battery, deputies were told. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - Security camera footage led to the arrest of a man accused of stealing three Samsung tablets used for taking orders at the Laverne restaurant Thursday, police said.
The theft occurred at Grill House, 1204 Foothill Blvd., January 14. Officers investigating the theft patrolled the nearby area and found suspect Juan Martinez not too far from the crime scene about 45 minutes later, reportedly still in possession of the stolen tablets, according to the La Verne Police Department. Martinez, was booked for felony-level crimes at 3:29 p.m. and was issued a citation and released. He is scheduled to appear in court January 19, according to Los Angeles County booking records. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - A bathroom confrontation inside a supermarket November 24 led to an assault with a deadly weapon that left one person with laceration to the forehead, police said. The assault occurred at Stater Bros., 2090 Foothill Blvd., around 2:50 p.m. One victim encountered the suspect in a restroom. A confrontation resulted and led to the suspect to swing a knife at the victim, according to the La Verne Police Department. The suspect followed the victim out of the bathroom and threw three glass bottles at the victim; one bottle struck another person, causing a laceration to the forehead, La Verne Police said. The suspect fled the store on a white Robust 200 scooter. He is possibly a transient from the Bloomington area, La Verne Police said. The suspect is described as a Hispanic man in his 30s. He has dark hair, a goatee, has a medium build, wore shorts, a black Lakers hat, a t-shirt with “Aero” across the chest, a black jacket with twin red arm stripes, has a tattoo on the back of his head and walks with a pronounced limp. Anyone with information on the suspect is urged to call La Verne Police detectives at 909-596-1913, or email detectives@lvpd.org. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor *This story has been updated to include details from a CHP incident report. The previous story follows this new update.
LA VERNE - CHP officers arrested a suspect early Tuesday morning after allegedly threatening a tow truck driver attempting to take the suspect's car after a collision. La Verne man Eduardo Daniel Calderon was located during a search and arrested. He was booked on suspicion of making criminal threats and possession of a controlled substance, according to Public Information Officer Rodrigo Jimenez of the California Highway Patrol Baldwin Park Office. Calderon, 29, somehow overturned his Nissan Altima on Damien Avenue north of Juanita Avenue around 10:55 p.m. October 19. The Altima also hit a parked Toyota Corolla. CHP officers found Calderon was not impaired, Jimenez told SGV CityWatch. Officers left the scene while the Altima was loaded onto a flatbed tow truck, leaving the transport of the car to the owner's responsibility. The suspect then allegedly argued with the driver about towing fees. Calderon allegedly jumped onto the flatbed tow truck from Pomona Valley Towing and jumped back into the white Nissan, refusing to let the driver go, according to California Highway Patrol traffic logs. "There was some type of altercation -- not physical and the tow truck driver believed the man had a handgun and the driver took off in fear of his life," Jimenez told SGV CityWatch. During the argument, Calderon allegedly put his hand into a backpack and pulled an unknown object, making the tow truck driver believe he was armed with a handgun, Jimenez told SGV CityWatch Calderon was found during a search and taken into custody. Officers searched the surrounding area for a weapon, but no weapon was found. Unspecified drugs were located in one of Calderon's pockets, Jimenez told SGV CityWatch. ------------------------------------------------------ LA VERNE - CHP officers arrested a suspect early Tuesday morning after allegedly threatening a tow truck driver attempting to take the suspect's car after a collision. The as-of-yet unidentified suspect first allegedly jumped onto the flatbed tow truck from Pomona Valley Towing and jumped back into the white Nissan, refusing to let the driver go, according to California Highway Patrol traffic logs. The CHP and firefighters responded to the 400 block of Damien Avenue just after 11 p.m. October 19. It is unclear if a second vehicle was involved in the collision that forced the suspect’s white Nissan to overturn. The suspect was able to self-extricate from the car. The tow truck driver ran from the scene at Juanita Avenue and Damien Avenue in unincorporated La Verne after the suspect brandished a handgun at him, according to the California Highway Patrol. After a search, the suspect was arrested sometime around 12:53 a.m., according to Officer Peter Nicholson of the California Highway Patrol Traffic Management Center. No other information is available. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - Starting Tuesday, October 13, construction work ahead of the L Line light rail extension to Pomona will force a long term closure on Wheeler Avenue, authorities said recently. The work is scheduled to begin Tuesday, October 13 and last until Friday, January 1 2021. The railroad crossing at Wheeler Avenue will be rebuilt. Vehicle and pedestrian traffic will have no access past the construction area. Crews plan to work daily during double shift hours from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. with overnight and Sunday shifts being possible, according to the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority.
“Access to homes and businesses on Wheeler Ave. within the closure area north and south of the railroad crossing will be maintained at all times, as well as access to Wheeler Park, Palomares Ave., 1st St., 2nd St., and 3rd St.,” according to the Construction Authority. Bonita Avenue and Arrow Highway will remain open during construction. San Dimas Canyon Road will serve as the main detour route, the Construction Authority said. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE – Three burglary suspects accused of attempting to cut their way into a business Tuesday are also heavily suspected in burglarizing a second business the same day, police said. Police detained the three suspects who were in the middle of cutting their way into a business in the 1100 block of Foothill Boulevard the morning of September 29. Not too long after that, a business in the 700 block of Arrow Highway was also found burglarized, according to the La Verne Police Department.
“Video surveillance from the Arrow Hwy location confirmed that the same suspects were responsible for both burglaries,” the La Verne Police Department said. Arrested were Pomona residents Serenity Dupree, 21, and Alexis Frenes, 26. La Verne man Oscar Flores, 27, was also arrested. The trio were booked on suspicion of burglary, given citations and released. 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 multi-agency sting into human trafficking netted the arrests of two women inside a massage parlor. Xiuquin Zong, a 57-year-old Hacienda Heights resident and Kangqiu Liu, a 50-year-old resident of San Gabriel, were arrested on suspicion of soliciting for prostitution and cited, according to the La Verne Police Department. The sting took place at My Spa, 1451 Foothill Blvd., August 18.
An undercover detective was solicited by the manager and masseuse to perform sexual acts, according to the La Verne Police Department. “An administrative inspection was conducted, and additional violations of the State, County, and La Verne Municipal Code were identified. The City of La Verne is in the process of revoking the business’s permit,” the La Verne Police Department said. The sting was conducted by La Verne Police and the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force, headed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - A man police have named is being sought for allegedly taking $1,000 in alcohol from a Target July 16.
Tran Van Cuong, 48, walked out of Target, 1600 Foothill Blvd., carrying the alcohol. He fled the store in a tan 2000 Lexus ES, according to the La Verne Police Department. Cuong was already on Post Release Community Supervision for robbery, according to the La Verne Police Department. Anyone with information on the suspect is urged to call La Verne Police Department Detective A. Julian at 909-596-1913, or email ajulian@lvpd.org. |
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