 Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MONROVIA - A driver was arrested Monday after the driver refused to stop for police and led them on a chase into El Monte. The unidentified driver is accused of running a stop sign in Monrovia just before 8:30 p.m. May 20. The chase left surface streets and entered the southbound 605 freeway, according to Lt. Sarah Covarrubias of the Monrovia Police Department. The pursuit transitioned to the west I-10 freeway where the driver exited onto Peck Road North and stopped near the Longo Toyota dealership. The driver was arrested with help from El Monte Police.
A passenger was also detained, but was not arrested, Covarrubias said.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MONROVIA - Police uncovered a large quantity of chemicals stored at a home Tuesday evening -- chemicals used in drug manufacturing, Monrovia Police said Wednesday. Police discovered the chemicals in the 200 block of North Myrtle Avenue around 6:40 p.m. after being called to investigate the residence, according to the Monrovia Police Department. Residents reported a chemical smell in the area. The Los Angeles County Fire Department Hazmat detail and Monrovia Fire Department helped determine the chemicals are known in manufacturing controlled substances, Monrovia Police said.
The chemicals were stored in a residential garage. It has not been revealed what type of drugs were being made at the home. A regional task force specializing in narcotic enforcement was summoned to the home. A search warrant was served and one unidentified man was taken into custody on suspicion of manufacturing a controlled substance. There is no threat to the community, Monrovia Police said.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - A multi-agency investigation into a 2017 arson fire led to the arrest of suspects accused of intentionally setting a building fire to collect insurance money, authorities said Tuesday. Alan Sosa, 39, Delmy Diaz, 40, and Daniel Garcia, 40, had 10 felony counts filed against them March 25, including conspiracy to commit arson, arson of a structure, arson of property, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, and using a device to accelerate a fire, according to information released by the City of Pasadena. The charges are the result of a 17-month investigation by the Verdugo Fire Investigation Task Force. Five people were initially arrested at five different locations during a coordinated search warrant served March 21, authorities said.
The arson fire was set at Kustom Built in Monrovia, 900 S. Magnolia Ave., October 9, 2017. Five businesses were housed in the building, authorities said. More than $200,000 in insurance claims were filed for vehicles damaged. Insurance adjusters arrived to the estimated $4.5 million by including the total loss to the building, authorities said. Sosa is being held at the Inmate Reception Center in lieu of $425,000 bail. Garcia is being held at Men’s Central Jail in lieu of $1.425 million bail. Diaz is being held in Century Regional Detention Facility in lieu of $425,000 bail. The charges were filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. All three suspects are scheduled for an appearance in Pomona Superior Court April 11. Involved in the operation were investigators and officers from the Pasadena Fire Department, Pasadena Police Department, Arcadia Fire Department, United States Marshals Service, Los Angeles City Fire Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, National Insurance Crime Bureau, California Department of Insurance, and the Los Angeles Taskforce for Regional Autotheft Prevention (TRAP).  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MONROVIA - Fire officials announced a person of interest has been detained in a string of four suspicious fires ignited in the last two days. The two most recent fires damaged three wood-framed homes, killing a pet cat and causing at least two people to be displaced, said Chief Brad Dover of the Monrovia Fire Department. A house under construction was found fully engulfed early Wednesday, March 6 in the 700 block of West Colorado Boulevard around 12:35 a.m. Flames also caused damage at a neighboring home, which was red-tagged. The front porch of a home was torched March 7 at 812 W. Walnut Ave. Firefighters were dispatched at 12:03 a.m.
A person of interest was detained Thursday morning around 7 a.m. Detectives are seeking information from the person on interest regarding knowledge or involvement in the arsons, according to Monrovia Police Chief Alan Sanvictores. The Walnut Avenue home was occupied at the time the fire ignited. The resident was alerted by a smoke detector. He attempted to extinguish the fire, which extended into the structure itself and ultimately killed a pet cat. The resident suffered smoke inhalation, Dover said. Two minor fires extinguished were quickly determined to also be incendiary in nature, Dover said. The Verdugo Arson Task Force investigated the fires along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Los Angeles Fire Department, Dover said. A K9 search indicated a fire accelerant was used in the fires, Dover said. The person of interest has not been arrested.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MONROVIA - A house under construction went up in flames March 6, forcing nearby residents to evacuate briefly, authorities said. The home in the 700 block of West Colorado Boulevard was reported on fire at 12:35 a.m. The house shot out tall flames as the fire consumed the structure, which collapsed during the firefight, according to video from the scene of the fire. No one was injured. Power lines were also compromised and fell at a neighboring home, making the firefight more difficult. The cause of the fire is under investigation.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MONROVIA - Firefighters are working on extinguishing a house fire early Wednesday. The fire is burning in the 700 block of W. Colorado Boulevard and is beginning to affect structures around it. At least one other structure near the original fire has an active attic fire, according to Monrovia Fire Department radio traffic. The fire was dispatched to firefighters at 12:36 a.m. It is unknown if the home was occupied, vacant or under construction. Power lines have been compromised and have fallen nearby. It is unclear if anyone was injured in the fire.  Courtesy photo. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MONROVIA - A man was hospitalized Tuesday after being hit by a vehicle, police said. The collision occurred on Huntington Drive at Fifth Avenue around 9 a.m. February 5. The pedestrian was crossing north on Fifth Street when a southbound vehicle turned east onto Huntington and struck the driver, according to Sgt. Chad Harvey of the Monrovia Police Department. The driver, possibly blinded by the morning sun, clipped the pedestrian with the vehicle, Harvey said. The pedestrian suffered a small, visible injury to one knee and complained of pain to a shoulder and leg, Harvey said. The driver remained at the scene.  PHOTO/By Aaron Castrejon. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MONROVIA - The mother and teen daughter slain in an apartment December 5 are still unidentified.
The Hispanic woman in her 40s, along with her teen daughter, were found dead by Monrovia officers responding to a reported assault in the apartment unit in the 800 block of West Colorado Boulevard. The mother was pronounced dead at 1:48 p.m. The girl was pronounced dead at 1:50 p.m., according to Sarah Ardalani of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Autopsies are pending on both, which will publicly reveal the manner of death, which homicide detectives continue to keep hidden. The suspect, 33-year-old Nimrod Perez Guerrero, is still outstanding. Perez Guerrero has been identified as the on-again/off-again boyfriend of the mother. Monrovia Police received a transferred call originally placed with Alhambra Police of an assault that occurred in the apartment. Monrovia officers arrived and discovered an open window. Upon entering, they found both females dead. The girl was a senior at Monrovia High School, which is just across the street from where she was found dead. Fellow classmates of the girl arrived to the scene to mourn their friend. Monrovia Unified School District Superintendent Katherine Thorossian issued a statement Thursday: “It is with great sadness that I share that we have lost one of our Monrovia High School seniors and her mother.Our heartfelt prayers and thoughts go out to their family and friends. As we grapple with this tragic news, which will affect so many in our tight-knit community, I want to note upfront that counseling support will be offered on campus for our students and staff,” Thorossian said. Perez Guerrero may be driving in a grey 2014 Toyota Rav4 with the license plate 7FPB132. Anyone with information on Perez Guerrero’s whereabouts is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).  PHOTO/Courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MONROVIA - Homicide detectives have identified a man wanted in connection to the killing of a woman and her teen daughter Decembver 5.
Nimrod Perez Guerrero, 33, was identified as a suspect in the killing of the mother and daughter, whose bodies were discovered inside an apartment unit in the 800 block of West Colorado Avenue. Guerrero may be driving a grey, 2014 Toyota Rav4 with liens plate number 7FPB132. Guerrero is a Hispanic man, 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds. A clothing description was not available. Guerrero’s connection to the mother and daughter was not disclosed, nor the manner of death. Anyone with information on Guerrero’s whereabouts is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Information may be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).  PHOTO/By Aaron Castrejon. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MONROVIA - Homicide detectives are attempting to locate a person of interest after a woman and her teen daughter were found dead in an apartment Wednesday afternoon.
BREAKING NEWS: Suspect Outstanding After Mother, Daughter Found Dead in Monrovia Monrovia Police made the discovery around 1 p.m. December 5 in the 800 block of West Colorado Boulevard. Officers discovered the bodies after being called to a reported assault, according to Lt. Derrick Alfred of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau. “We are awaiting a signed search warrant to go in to further process the scene,” Alfred said. “Monrovia Police Department received information that someone committed an assault here.” An outside agency received a call that was transferred to Monrovia dispatchers of the assault in the apartment unit. It is unclear how the caller knew the assault occurred, but the caller may be a resident of the apartment, Alfred said. Monrovia Police discovered an open window at the unit, but detectives do not believe forced entry was made. The manner of death was not disclosed. Detectives hope to release information on a suspect shortly. |
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