Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - Detectives with the Pasadena Police Department’s Major Narcotics/Special Investigations Section seized 328,000 fentanyl pills, two kilos of cocaine and seized an un-serialized “ghost gun” during a narcotics investigation September 24.

The contraband was discovered as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

Detectives discovered within the seized contraband several packages of what was described as candy-colored fentanyl pills.

“This candy-colored fentanyl, dubbed “rainbow fentanyl” in the media, appears to be a new method used by drug cartels to sell highly addictive and potentially deadly fentanyl to children and young people,” according to the Pasadena Police Department.

So far this year, Pasadena narcotics investigators, with the assistance of local and federal agencies, seized approximately 708,500 fentanyl pills in nearly 32 kilos of fentanyl, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

“The Pasadena Police Department urges community members to call 911 immediately if they encounter fentanyl in any form, and we urge parents to be especially careful with the candy their children bring home during the upcoming Halloween festivities,” according to the Pasadena Police Department.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA – Stunning video was recently released in the investigation into a deadly police shooting of a carjacking suspect.

Adam Youines, a 35-year-old transient from the Montebello area was shot and killed by Pasadena Police as he inched the stolen minivan at officers.

Youines allegedly took a white 2002 Honda Odyssey minivan at gunpoint during a carjacking just before 11:30 p.m. at East Mountain Street and North El Molino Avenue. Two hours later, the minivan was caught on a red light camera speeding through North Garfield Avenue and Via Campo in Montebello, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies found the vehicle a short time later and pursued the driver after he allegedly failed to stop. The reckless driver forced deputies to stop the pursuit at the 605 and I-10 freeways.

Monrovia officers attempted to stop the driver in their city after he was witnessed driving erratically and another pursuit began. The California Highway Patrol assisted with the chase once it entered the freeway.

Monrovia officers chased the suspect for 18 minutes in Pasadena, before Pasadena officers took over the chase. The suspect made attempts at stopping the minivan impossible with his high-speed reckless driving which took the pursuit into opposing lanes multiple times, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

The suspect slowly stopped at a strip mall in the 600 block of North Lake Avenue where officers negotiated with him for eight minutes. The suspect was seen on video supplied by the Pasadena Police Department pointing a handgun at his own head. He repeatedly wanted officers to kill him, even after dispatchers got his mother to speak with him.

Officers blocked all exits from the strip mall and ordered the suspect to surrender, but he inched the minivan at officers stationed at a parking lot exit and officers opened fire, killing Youines at the scene.

PASADENA – A child is without parents now after a man killed his estranged wife, then himself Saturday night, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

The shooting occurred in the 800 block of Merrett Drive. The bodies were located around 10:40 p.m. August 27 and identified as Armando Garcia, 37, and Sylvia Garcia, 29.

Investigators allege Armando, an Altadena resident, arrived to his estranged wife’s residence, shot her and then turned the gun on himself.

The child was unharmed.

PASADENA – Detectives released a single image of what they described as the getaway vehicle used in a murder from three months ago.

A white four-door SUV was caught on surveillance video fleeing south on Fair Oaks Avenue around the time a man was fatally shot May 2 around 8:42 p.m. Eric Lynn Thomas, 28, was found shot to death at an apartment complex, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

Pasadena officers were called to the common area of an apartment complex in the 1700 block of North Fair Oaks Avenue to the shooting. Officers also received notifications from the City’s ShotSpotter gunfire detection system, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

Anyone with information on this deadly shooting is urged to call the Pasadena Police Department at 626-744-4241. Provide information anonymously by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org.

PASADENA - A Montebello resident was identified as the driver of a van who led multiple agencies on a pursuit that ended with his death July 30.

Adam Youines, 35, was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.

Youines inched the vehicle he drove towards Pasadena officers after he stopped in a strip mall parking lot in the 600 block of North Lake Avenue. Officers were compelled to fire their weapons repeatedly at him. He died at the scene.

Towards the end of the pursuit, Youines could be seen in a video holding a gun to his own head. He reportedly made demands to speak to his mother.

Youines was described as an armed carjacking suspect who initially led Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies on a pursuit in South El Monte. The pursuit reportedly lasted only minutes before it was cancelled after a deputy crashed into another vehicle before 2 a.m.

Youines continued to evade authorities along surface streets and freeways in the Monrovia, Acadia and Pasadena areas.

The California Highway Patrol ended their portion of the pursuit when Youines kept to surface streets. Pasadena Police began pursuing the suspect at 2:25 a.m.

Monrovia Police trailed Pasadena officers who continued to pursue Youines until he stopped in the strip mall parking lot.

“Detectives from the Pasadena Police Department’s Robbery/Homicide Unit responded to the crime scene to commence an immediate follow-up investigation,” according to the Pasadena Police Department in a written statement.

The crash involving the deputy occurred at Rosemead Boulevard and Glendon Way in Rosemead. The deputy, who was en route to the chase on the 605 freeway, was briefly hospitalized. The other driver was reportedly uninjured.

PASADENA – One suspect was arrested, two others were sought after an 82-year-old man was fatally stabbed in a Pasadena neighborhood Wednesday.

Officers responded to a home in the 1000 block of North mentor Avenue for an assault with a deadly weapon call July 6 and discovered a man deceased with stab wounds around 2:16 p.m. Officers somehow obtained a suspect vehicle description and located the vehicle parked at a nearby commercial area, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

The victim, who suffered multiple stab wounds, was identified as Glenn Calvin, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

The suspect in the vehicle was spotted just after 3 p.m.

The suspect was found at a Target shopping center, 3121 E. Colorado Blvd., in East Pasadena. As a precaution, the Target was evacuated while the suspect in the vehicle was taken into custody. The suspect’s name was not provided.

The motive for the killing remains either unknown, or has not yet been publicly released. Authorities have not released descriptions for the two other suspects.

Anyone with information on this incident is urged to call the Pasadena Police Department at 626-744-4241. Provide information 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

PASADENA - A man was found stabbed and suffered injuries that are at this time considered not life-threatening Thursday evening, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The stabbing victim was located at the Memorial Park Station for the Metro L Line after deputies received multiple 9-1-1 calls around 6:40 p.m. Thursday, June 23. Investigators are still trying to determine exactly where the stabbing took place, according to Ramon Montenegro, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau.

The stabbing victim was taken to a hospital for treatment. Initially, investigators believe that the stabbing did not occur at the Memorial Park Station.

“It’s still a really, really active investigation, so we really don’t know a lot about it. We requested video both from the station and from the train the individual was on,” Montenegro told SGV CityWatch.

All Metro L Line trains are skipping the Memorial Park Station due to the investigation.

Anyone who may have been aboard the train or at the Memorial Park station and who has information that could aid the investigation is urged to call the Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau at 323-563-5000, Or visit lasd.org/transitservicesbureau.

PASADENA – A driver accused of intoxicated driving was arrested after crashing with a Pasadena Fire Department battalion chief early Saturday morning.

The crash occurred in the intersection of South Lake Avenue and East Green Street around 1:51 a.m. June 11. The suspected drunk driver allegedly ran a red light while eastbound and collided with the chief’s SUV, according to the Pasadena Fire Department in a social media statement.

No one was injured.

“The suspect's vehicle collided into the Starbucks located at 80 S. Lake Avenue. The business was structurally safe and was not red tagged,” according to the Pasadena Fire Department.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - A man likely suffering from unspecified mental health issues was detained after an hours-long barricade inside of a home Friday afternoon.

The suspect was sought after he allegedly became confrontational with a random pedestrian in the 1200 block of East Orange Grove Boulevard June 10 around 12:23 p.m. The victim told officers that the suspect was armed with what looked like a black semi-automatic handgun, according to Lt. Keith Gomez of the Pasadena Police Department.

“A victim reported a male walked up to him and made some threats and brandished a firearm at him,” Gomez told SGV CityWatch.

The suspect re-entered his home. Police arrived, contained the residence and began negotiating for the suspect to surrender. Nearby residences were evacuated as a precaution, Gomez told SGV CityWatch.

After more than two hours, the suspect willingly surrendered himself and he was taken into custody around 3 p.m. He is being treated for some medical issues related to what was described as being under the influence, Gomez told SGV CityWatch.

At the time this interview was conducted at 4:55 p.m., officers were still searching the suspect’s residence to locate the weapon. Officers are still not clear if the weapon was authentic or a replica, Gomez told SGV CityWatch.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - A motorcycle officer with the Pasadena Police Department was seriously injured after colliding with a sedan Friday afternoon.

The collision occurred around 3:17 p.m. May 27 at the intersection of East Colorado Boulevard and North Oak Avenue, according to Lisa Derderian, public information officer with the City of Pasadena.

“The other driver remained on scene and is cooperating. They are uninjured. The motor Officer was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries,” Derderian told SGV CityWatch.

Drivers are asked to avoid Colorado at Oak during the investigation.