Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - Surveillance cameras at a Pasadena federal credit union caught a man slipping a skimming device and camera into an ATM, allowing him to steal more than $25,000, police said.
 
The suspect installed the devices March 24 and March 25 after visiting the same ATM March 19 and March 20 to test them out, ultimately stealing the victims’ PIN numbers and debit card data to take the cash, Pasadena Police said.
 
An undisclosed number of accounts were compromised.
 
The suspect is a white man, 30 to 40 years old, 5-foot-9 to 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs 185 pounds, has brown hair and a full beard. Police believe he may wear sunglasses to conceal his identity from surveillance cameras.
 
Anyone with information on the suspect is urged to call Pasadena Police Detective Carter at 626-744-6416, or email at [email protected]. Information can be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - A suspicious device, basically glued to a metal railing on the Lake Avenue 210 freeway overpass near the Gold Line was inspected and deemed safe, Pasadena Police said.
 
An unknown person called the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority just before 9 a.m. to report the device, which appeared to have soldered components to make appear as a dangerous device, according to Lt. Pete Hettema of the Pasadena Police Department.
 
Metro officials then notified Pasadena Police. 
 
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Arson/Explosives Detail was called to handle the device.
 
Pasadena Police shut down some roads near the scene, including Lake Avenue up to Orange Grove Boulevard, Hettema said.
 
The device was x-rayed by Arson/Explosives technicians.
 
The California Highway Patrol shut down the westbound 210 off ramp from Lake Avenue for several hours.
 
Authorities cleared the scene by 11:09 a.m., Hettema said.
 
It was unknown if a suspect was seen attaching the device to the railing.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - A FedEx truck crashed and landed on the Gold Line tracks near Lake Avenue in Pasadena early Thursday.
 
The HOV, No. 1 and 2 lanes of the westbound 210 freeway are still closed to traffic. A power pole or overhead gantry supplying power to the Gold Line was knocked down in the crash, according to the California Highway Patrol.
 
The collision occurred around 1:21 a.m. The lanes still closed will remain so for an unknown duration, the CHP said.
 
A sedan was likely involved in the collision and possibly two other vehicles collided in the crash.
 
At least one person was injured in the crash and the CHP may have spoken with the hospitalized driver to obtain a vehicle description for the investigation. 

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - Grade crossing signal issues are hampering traffic Tuesday.
 
Grade crossing signals are intermittently staying in the down position at some Pasadena crossings, according to the Pasadena Police Department.
 
The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority is aware of the issue and is working on a solution, Pasadena Police said.
 
Anyone with questions regarding the issue may call Metro at 323-466-3876.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - A woman in her 50s or 60s, clad in a hat and gloves threatened to have a bomb when she entered a Vons supermarket, seeking to rob the U.S. Bank branch within, police said.
 
The woman first entered the bank and made small talk with a teller at the U.S. Bank branch, 2355 E. Colorado Blvd., before leaving. When she returned 15 minutes later around 1:30 p.m., she then claimed to have a bomb and demanded cash from the teller, Pasadena Police said.
 
The teller relinquished an undisclosed amount of cash and the suspect fled the bank.
 
The suspect is in her 50s or 60s, about 6 feet tall and 180 pounds. She wore a light-colored baseball hat, dark sunglasses a grey-colored hoodie, black gloves and black shorts.
 
Anyone with information on the suspect is urged to call the Pasadena Police Department at 626-744-4241. Information can be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - Two men arrested April 10 for a disturbance were later suspected of burglaries at an electronic repair shop and at several Pasadena schools.

Jesus Martinez Galarza, 20, and Freddy Solorio, 19, were arrested in the 300 block of South Lake Avenue after officers responded to a disturbance call. Officers discovered evidence linking both men to an electronics repair shop burglary in the 1000 block of East Green Street.

One of the suspects received an injury consistent with lacerations caused by broken glass. Recent early-morning burglaries at several were committed when entry was made through broken windows.

Laptops were taken at the schools, but they were not the only things taken.

Pasadena Police detectives located and took blood evidence discovered on the broken glass from injuries sustained by one or more suspects, Pasadena Police said.

“Pasadena Commercial Burglary Detective Thomas Blanchard questioned the two men and obtained statements under Miranda implicating their involvement in the school burglaries,” Pasadena Police said.

Search warrants served at the suspects’ homes revealed stolen evidence from the Pasadena schools and electronics repair shop, Pasadena Police said, including laptops and cell phones.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed 12 felony counts on both Galarza and Solorio, including charges of Commercial Burglary and Felony Vandalism April 12.

Galarza and Solorio’s arraignment was set for April 12.  Galarza and Solorio’s bail was set at $120,000. 

The investigation is ongoing, Pasadena Police said.
 

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office completed a review of the in-custody death of a man, determining officers used reasonable force against him.
 
The findings come on the heels of a $1.5-million settlement reached in a lawsuit against the city of Pasadena in the death of 35-year-old Reginald Thomas Jr. If approved by a judge, the settlement will come without the city having to admit liability or fault in Thomas’ death, according to a statement released by Pasadena officials.
 
The findings, provided by the District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division stated that based on investigative reports, witness statements, audio recordings, photographs, video, 9-1-1 recordings and a coroner autopsy report, “all the force used by the officers appears to have been reasonable under the circumstances. Thus, even if the officers’ use of force contributed to Thomas’ death, their use of force was not unlawful,” according to Lisa Derderain, acting public information officers for the Pasadena city manager’s office.
 
City officials stated previously Thomas’ death resulted from dangerous amounts of PCP and methamphetamine in his system and not from the force used to subdue him, even though The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner previously stated the cause of Thomas’ death was undetermined.
 
The lawsuit was filed by Thomas’ family in November of 2016, alleging Pasadena Police officers used excessive force and conspired to cover up Thomas’ death.
 
Pasadena Police officers responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls, some from Thomas’ family, of a domestic disturbance inside an apartment unit in the 200 block of East Orange Grove Boulevard September 30, 2016. 
 
Arriving officers reportedly found Reginald Thomas outside the apartment, armed with a fire extinguisher, which was sprayed inside the unit and dagger tucked under one arm.
 
His girlfriend and four children were inside the apartment. Thomas is a father of eight.
 
Thomas appeared to be under the influence of drugs and slammed the door on the officers, Pasadena Police said.
 
After refusing to comply and drop the items he armed himself with, Pasadena officers attempted to physically subdue Thomas and used a stun gun to restrain him.
 
Thomas later became unresponsive. Officers began CPR on Thomas who died at the apartment complex.
 
None of the officers involved in the struggle with Thomas were disciplined or placed on leave, Derderian said.
 
“We want to thank the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for their comprehensive work and for their commitment to finding the truth in this manner,” said Pasadena City Manager Steve Mermell. “The loss of Reginald Thomas’ life was tragic, but the District Attorney’s review concludes that the responding Pasadena Police officers acted within reason and their use of force was lawful.
 
Thomas’ death sparked anger and protests in the community over the fact that Thomas, a Black man, died just after a police altercation.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - A 47-year-old man from Rancho Cucamonga died after colliding with a concrete barrier and guardrail on the east 210 freeway at Rosemead Boulevard Friday.

The collision occurred at 7:48 p.m. The rider, Brian Anthony Brouwer, was going to exit the east 210 to travel north on Rosemead Boulevard when he crashed into the barrier and guardrail. Brouwer was ejected over the barrier and landed on the right shoulder, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Brouwer was identified by Investigator Rudy Molano of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.

Brouwer’s 2014 Honda CBR 650F motorcycle slid and came to a rest. partially blocking the No. 1 lane and left shoulder of the northbound Rosemead Boulevard exit, the CHP said.

Pasadena firefighters declared Brouwer dead at the scene at 8:03 p.m.

It is unknown if alcohol or drugs are factors in the crash.