Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - Pasadena Police confirmed Tuesday that they are investigating sex assault claims against Dodgers ace pitcher Trevor Bauer stemming from an incident that allegedly occurred recently.

TMZ Sports broke the story Tuesday that the alleged victim was granted a temporary restraining order against the Cy Young winner for what the she claims is “severe physical and emotional pain.”

The alleged victim reported the assault to Pasadena Police May 16, Pasadena Police Lt. Carol Gordon told USA Today.

Bauer’s attorney, Tom Fetterolf, told TMZ “Mr. Bauer had a wholly consensual sexual relationship initiated by [the accuser] beginning in April 2021.”

Fetterolf Went on to add that the alleged victim reportedly sent messages to Baauer asking for rough sexual encounters and specified that she wanted to be slapped and choked during their rendezvous.

The alleged victim reportedly drove from her residence in San Diego to Bauer’s home in Pasadena and it is there where the alleged assault occurred, TMZ reported.

The alleged victim had two encounters with Bauer, stayed over at his home in Pasadena and left without incident. She allegedly messaged Baauer in the days after their last encounter and reportedly flirting with him through text messaging, Fetterolf told TMZ.

The victim also allegedly sent messages and images to Bauer after she claimed she needed medical attention for what was described as a concussion.

The Dodgers organization issued a statement:

“The Dodgers were made aware of the allegations against Trevor Bauer late this afternoon and immediately contacted Major League Baseball, which will be handling this matter," the statement read. "The Dodgers take any allegations of this nature very seriously, but will have no further comment at this time."

Written by AARON CASTREJON
​CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - At least one person was killed in a fatal collision on the west 210 freeway Tuesday morning.

The collision occurred on the west 210 under the 134 freeway transition road to the east 210 freeway around 2:34 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

A four-hour Sig Alert was issued for the No. 3 and 4 lanes of traffic around 2:30 a.m.

The Sig Alert ended around 4:40 a.m.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - Two men were arrested, both accused of shooting a 10-year-old boy who was left with life-threatening injuries.

Altadena man Joseph Mekhi Knowles, 21, and 22-year-old Tanaj Johnson from Pasadena were identified after months of detective work, arrested and booked on suspicion of attempted murder in the February 14 shooting, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

The boy was shot several times around 3 p.m. in the 300 block of Parke Street. Gunmen exited a late-model, light-colored four-door sedan, opened fire and fled in the vehicle, Pasadena Police said in a written statement.

“There is nothing to indicate the 10-year-old was the intended victim of this senseless act of violence,” Pasadena Police said in a written statement.

The boy, identified as Mario Ramirez, was seriously wounded.

Johnson was already in custody, arrested April 19, for unrelated crimes when he was arrested May15. Knowles was jailed May 20.

Johnson is accused of being one of three suspects in the fatal shooting of a man in Pasadena March 29.

The U.S. Marshal Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force assisted Pasadena Police detectives in executing search warrants at undisclosed locations May 20. Evidence tying both Knowles and Johnson to the shooting was seized, Pasadena Police said.

Pasadena detectives presented the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office May 24, which formally filed one charge each of attempted murder, Pasadena Police said.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - One person received minor injuries after two vehicles collided, sending one crashing into a Cheesecake Factory early Tuesday.

The collision occurred around 5:50 a.m. May 25 at E. Colorado Blvd. and N. Fair Oaks Ave., according to the Pasadena Fire Department.

Pasadena Urban Search and Rescue responded to evaluate the integrity of the building, The Pasadena Fire Department said.

Employees were inside the restaurant when the crash occurred, but no one was injured inside.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA – A recent structural analysis unveiled a potentially-deadly scenario should the earth shake beneath our feet.

The City of Pasadena ordered the Pasadena Central Library, 285 E. Walnut Ave., closed May 3 after a structural assessment deemed the historic structure unsound due to its mostly unreinforced masonry bearing walls, according to the City of Pasadena.

The Pasadena Central Library’s safety issues were discovered during an assessment that was part of the city’s Central Library Building Systems and Structural Assessment Capital Improvement Project. The building does not meet seismic standards outlined under the American Society of Civil Engineers.

“URM buildings have been widely recognized as a hazard to life safety due to their potential to collapse during an earthquake. While Pasadena passed an ordinance in 1993 mandating all URM buildings to be retrofitted, vacated or demolished, no record has been found as to why Central Library was not identified and addressed as a URM building,” according to city officials in a written statement. “Now that it has been identified, it is clear that Central Library is not in conformance with the City’s URM Ordinance.”

In-person library services recently resumed after Covid-19 restrictions were implemented.

“This is devastating news for us all. Central Library is more than just a building; it’s where generations of families have grown up, and an iconic building that completes our Civic Center as one of Pasadena’s treasures,” said Pasadena City Manager Steve Mermell. “We intend to do everything in our power to assess the severity of the problem and to work toward its resolution. This library cannot remain vacant, and we need to conserve it for another century of use.”

City and library staff are working on interim solutions to ensure that services offered at the Central Library are continued at the city’s other libraries.

Designed by Myron Hunt in 1924, Central Library was the first building completed in Pasadena’s historic Civic Center Plan. The library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Averaging 1,000 daily visitors, city officials said in a written statement.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - The man accused of stabbing two family members to death, a portion of the crime that was witnessed on a live Zoom meeting, was officially charged Monday.

Robert Anderson Cotton, 32, faces two counts of murder with an allegation of using a knife as a deadly and dangerous weapon.

Cotton’s arraignment was continued to April 5. He is accused of killing mother Carol Brown, 67, and uncle Kenneth Preston, 69, at the house they all shared in the 3000 block of North Marengo Avenue March 22.

The bodies were discovered after police were called around 2:50 p.m. in the 3000 block of North Marengo Avenue.

Brown was a 15-year-member of Pasadena City College and was reportedly in the middle of a work meeting on Zoom when a suspect, later identified as Cotton, entered the room and kidnapped her. Coworkers called 9-1-1.

Cotton was not at the scene when deputies arrived, but returned in a vehicle either belonging to Brown or Preston, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide investigators.

PASADENA – A man hell-bent for leather on getting food while maskless was identified and charged with robbery of the Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles, police said.

Steven Carlos Williams, a 43-year-old Duarte man, was identified at the man who robbed the restaurant February 3. Williams was reportedly already in custody, arrested by Sheriff’s deputies several days after the Roscoe’s robbery on an unrelated crime, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

Williams is accused of taking food orders at gunpoint at the restaurant, 830 N. Lake Ave. Employees insisted that the suspect mask-up. The suspect became irate and brandished a handgun.

>>THE FULL STORY: Armed Man, In a Tiff Over mask Compliance, Robs Pasadena Restaurant

The suspect reportedly entered the kitchen and demanded that food be placed in a bag. Surveillance cameras captured the man leaving with a plateful of food.

Four employees fled the restaurant.

The suspect entered the restaurant with a friend. The friend remained in the restaurant until the food was taken. Both men soon fled the location in a dark-colored sedan.

The case was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office February 26. Williams was officially charged with two counts of robbery and two counts of assault with a firearm. He was arraigned February 26, Pasadena Police said.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - A man and woman were wounded, one of them fatally, by gunfire in a shooting March 13.

Both victims were sitting in a vehicle parked in the 2500 block of East Foothill Boulevard when a suspect approached and opened fire. A 23-year-old Azusa man died after being hospitalized. A 19-year-old Duarte woman was treated for injuries considered not life-threatening and released from the hospital, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

Police responded to the scene just before 9 p.m. Saturday to find the man had been shot multiple times. The woman had minor injuries.

Detectives believe one man was responsible for the shooting. He fled the scene after the gunfire. He is described as a Black male in dark-colored clothing, Pasadena Police said.

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

PASADENA - A 10-year-old boy was likely the unintended target after gunfire rang out in a Pasadena neighborhood Sunday.

The boy was wounded while playing outside in the area of Park Street and Garfield Avenue around 3 p.m. February 14, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

The boy suffered life-threatening injuries, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

The boy, who was shot multiple times, was apparently conscious and talking with first responders while being transported to an area hospital.

Possibly as many as two suspects exited a vehicle and opened fire on an unknown target while the boy was playing outside his home. The suspect or suspects reentered a late-model four-door sedan, which was driven from the scene.

The boy’s current condition is not publicly known.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - A man hellbent on getting a meal brandished a handgun and took food from a restaurant Wednesday after being told to mask up.

The robbery took place at Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles, 830 N. Lake Ave., around 5:40 p.m. The suspect and a second man entered the restaurant. An employee told the men to mask up and the suspect began arguing with them. He then brandished a handgun, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

A second employee exited the kitchen and walked towards the suspect to see what the argument was about and the suspect than points of a hand gun at him.

The suspect reportedly entered the kitchen and demanded that food be placed in a bag. Surveillance cameras captured the man leaving with a plateful of food.

Four employees fled the restaurant.

The suspect’s friend remained in the restaurant until the food was taken. Both men soon fled the location.

The suspect is described as a Black man in his 30s or 40s. He has a thin build, hazel eyes, black curly hair and face tattoos. He wore a green sweatshirt and white sweatpants with black polka dots.

The suspect’s friend is a Hispanic man with a shaved head. He stands around 5 feet 5 inches tall, has a shaved head, weighs around 150 pounds and wore a blue jacket and blue mask.