Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

UPDATE, 7:12 p.m.: Arson/Explosives technicians inspected the suspicious item on the L Line train and rendered it safe.

Normal train service has resumed, according to LA Metro.

MONROVIA - A suspicious item on an L Line train has forced authorities to temporarily stop service the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Saturday.

Deputies with the Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau were alerted to the item at 4:15 p.m. September 25. We approach the item to inspect it and deemed suspicious enough to hold train service, according to the Transit Services Bureau.

It was not immediately clear if the suspicious item was found on a northbound or southbound L Line train.

The Sheriff’s Arson/Explosives Detail was called to the scene.

The 210 freeway off ramps to Myrtle Avenue have been closed for at least the next three hours due to the investigation, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced that there is no train service between Arcadia Station and Duarte/City of Hope Station. Bus shuttles have been requested to transport passengers.

MONROVIA – Police announced a scheduled DUI/driver license checkpoint for September 24.

Drivers will be stopped at an undisclosed location and will be evaluated for possible intoxication and for proper licensing.

“Over the course of the past three years, there have been 290 DUI investigations with 27 of those resulting in collisions with injuries, harming our citizens and neighbors of Monrovia,” according to the Monrovia Police Department in a written statement.

Statewide, alcohol and drug-impaired driving collisions constituted 29 percent of all fatal crashes, the Monrovia Police Department said.

Funding for this checkpoint is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

MONROVIA – A pedestrian was killed after being hit by a light rail train early Friday morning.
 
The fatal collision occurred around 4:26 a.m. The pedestrian died at the scene, according to Ramon Montenegro, public information officer for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau.
 
The train was headed to Union Station when the collision occurred at California Avenue.
 
Bus bridges were called to transport riders between the Arcadia and Duarte L Line stations.
 
As of 7:03 a.m., trains experienced up to 15 minute delays as trains began moving again. Trains shared the Azusa-bound track, according to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

MONROVIA - Police are investigating a fiery crash that occurred just before 7 a.m. Sunday.

The male driver in the truck died after his vehicle overturned and caught fire in the 500 block of North Magnolia Avenue. Officers were dispatched around 6:51 a.m., according to the Monrovia Police Department.

“According to witnesses the driver was traveling approximately 100 MPH. The posted speed limit is 25 MPH,” the Monrovia Police Department said in a written statement.

A picture posted to a Monrovia Facebook group showed the truck from a distance as it was burning up. The truck was likely northbound on Magnolia Avenue, crashed into a stone fence flipped over onto a resident’s property and then caught fire. It also appeared that trees on the property caught fire.

No one else was injured in the crash.

The Arcadia Police Department Major Accident Investigation Team responded to help Monrovia investigators.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - Homicide detectives announced the arrest of three suspects in a fatal Monrovia shooting.

A 17-year-old male was arrested April upon his release from the Pasadena City jail April 15. Tanaj Johnson, 20, was arrested April 19 as he was released from the Pasadena jail on an unrelated charge. Christian Hall, 20, had been arrested May 23 by Pasadena Police Department on an unrelated charge and is being held without bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

Darione Jones, 25, was murdered March 29 in the 100 block of East Los Angeles Avenue just before 5:30 p.m.

Detectives with the Monrovia and Pasadena Police Departments aided Sheriff’s homicide investigators with identifying the suspects.

The Eastlake District Attorney’s Office filed one count of murder against the teen with the allegation he personally used a firearm, the Sheriff’s Information Bureau said.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Community Violence Reduction Division filed one count of murder against Tanaj Johnson April 21 with the allegation that he personally used a firearm and one count of animal cruelty because he shot a dog during the Monrovia shooting, the Sheriff’s Information Bureau said.

Johnson was also named a suspect in the February 14 shooting of a 10-year-old boy in Pasadena, Pasadena Police said.

The DA’s Community Violence Reduction Division filed one count of murder against Christian Hall May 25 with the allegation he personally used a firearm, the Sheriff’s Information Bureau said.

Hall is being held without bail ahead an appearance in Pasadena Superior Court June 3.

Johnson is being held in lieu of nearly $4 million bail ahead of a May 27 appearance in Pasadena Superior Court on a variety of charges.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

MONROVIA - Officers were called May 10 to investigate a possible fraud that occurred after a restaurant manager took revenue from the establishment to pay off an alleged IRS tax problem, Monrovia Police said.

Employees of the unnamed restaurant in the 600 block of West Huntington Drive called the general manager and said the new restaurant manager “took all the money from the store and left for a short time, but then returned,” according to the Monrovia Police Department.

Police responded to the restaurant at 10:14 p.m.

Officers detained the store manager who said a caller claimed the restaurant owed taxes. The manager was asked to purchase gift cards from CVS and provide the card numbers to the caller, Monrovia Police said.

“The manager went to CVS, purchased the gift cards, and provided the caller with the card numbers. Officers were able to confirm the manager's story,” according to the Monrovia Police Department in a written statement.

The amount of money used to purchase the cards was not disclosed.

It is unclear if any arrests have been made.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

MONROVIA - A man was shot multiple times and died at the scene in a residential area Monday afternoon, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

Monrovia police officers responding to a report of shots fired in the 100 block of East Los Angeles Avenue, March 29 found a Black man suffering from two gunshot wounds. The unidentified victim was shot in the upper and lower torso, according to Deputy Tracy Koerner of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

The shooting was first reported at 5:25 p.m., Koerner told SGV CityWatch.

It is not yet clear if the shooting is gang-related.

The neighborhood was the unfortunate host to a similar shooting exactly two months ago to the day when a man, Covina resident Terry Alford, was gunned down on the front yard of a home January 29. Investigators have yet to say if both shootings are related.

Anyone with information on this shooting is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

MONROVIA - As many as three men fled an overturned vehicle that crash on the 210 freeway Thursday.

Police are setting up a perimeter search near where the crash happened after witnesses reported at least three men fleeing across freeway lanes and into business and residential areas below, according to California Highway Patrol traffic logs.

The crash occurred just after 11:30 a.m. on the eastbound 210 freeway near South Myrtle Avenue.

A Sig Alert has been issued for one hour for the HOV, No. 1 and 2 lanes of traffic.

A vehicle only described as possibly white in color, overturned and eventually caught fire. A witness under the freeway reported three men running from the freeway.

The Monrovia Police Department received multiple calls of the suspects fleeing in the area.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

MONROVIA - A motorcyclist reportedly moving at 100 miles per hour while trying to pass another vehicle at an intersection was ejected from his ride after crashing, police said.

The crash occurred just before 9 p.m. at Grand Avenue and East Foothill Boulevard March 16.

The other vehicle was being prepping to make a left turn at the intersection from Foothill Boulevard to Grand when the rider attempted to pass on the left broadsided it, according to the Monrovia Police Department.

“The motorcycle collided into the driver’s side of the vehicle, which ejected the motorcyclist. The motorcyclist was transported to a nearby hospital by Monrovia Paramedics, and is in stable condition,” Monrovia Police said in a written statement.

The Arcadia Police Major Accident Investigation Team assisted in the investigation.

In an interview with SGV CityWatch, Sgt. Glen Coleman said the rider was questioned after being hospitalized. Neither alcohol, nor drugs are believed to be factors in the crash.

Coleman was not sure if the other driver was injured.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

MONROVIA - A man who brazenly broke into an occupied home was finally caught March 6 after being found on the roof of another home, police said.

The suspect, armed with a metal object, forced his way into one home and the 300 block of Linwood Avenue around before 8 a.m. Fearing for his safety, the resident attempted to flee, but the suspect apparently would not allow him to leave, according to the Monrovia Police Department.

The suspect said he was looking for his sister and then searched each bedroom and closet inside of the home. He fled without harming the resident, Monrovia police said.

A second resident reported the same suspect was attempting to break into his home as well, but the resident scared off the intruder by pointing a handgun at him.

“The homeowner pointed a handgun at the suspect and told him to get off his property. The suspect complied,” according to the Monrovia Police Department in a written statement.

Police arrived and set up a containment. The suspect was located standing on the roof of a nearby home. He ran a short distance after jumping down from the roof, but officers were able to detain him and eventually took him into custody.