Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - A man clad in a security uniform was booked on suspicion of attempted murder in the stabbing of another man near the Sierra Madre Villa station Thursday morning.

What started out as a verbal argument led to a physical altercation and to one of the men being stabbed multiple times. The suspect was quickly arrested by deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau.

The incident began at 7:30 a.m. at 149 N. Halstead St.

The victim received multiple stab wounds to his upper torso. He was treated at the scene and taken to a hospital where he was last listed in critical, but stable condition, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

“While the suspect was wearing a security guard uniform, it is important to note the suspect was not employed by or contracted with Metro and was utilizing the Metro system for transportation purposes,” according to the Sheriff’s Department in a written statement.

Public arrest records show that Transit Services deputies arrested 37-year-old Antonio Olivera and booked him on suspicion of attempted murder. He is being held at the Inmate Reception Center in Los Angeles in lieu of $2 million bail ahead of a schedule appearance in Pasadena Superior Court Monday, April 21.

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The arrest record in this article is being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and is protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Arrest information is public record and was distributed by government sources. The person named in this article has only been arrested on suspicion of the crime(s) listed and is presumed innocent.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - The Sierra Madre Villa Station is closed as authorities investigate a stabbing Thursday.

A man is reportedly in critical condition after being stabbed multiple times at the Sierra Madre Villa Station parking structure, 149 N. Halstead Ave., around 7:45 a.m. April 17.

Detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau are investigating the crime.

A suspect is reportedly in custody.

Metrolink A Line riders are asked to use the Pasadena Arts line 40 at Allen Station as an alternate route. An alternate station to board the A Line is the Arcadia Station at 1st & Santa Clara, next to REI, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - Pasadena City College police officers reportedly used force to subdue and detain a suspect accused of sexually assaulting a male on a bus October 9.

The suspect reportedly followed the victim after the assault onto the Pasadena City College campus, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd. although the victim was allegedly sexually assaulted, he declined medical attention, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau.

The suspect, who was not identified, was arrested on suspicion of sexual battery and transported to the Pasadena Police Department jail for booking.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - A suspect was booked on suspicion of attempted murder Wednesday after a woman was beaten and dragged from a train station onto the 210 freeway.

The shocking assault took place around 5:40 a.m. at the A Line Allen Station August 7. After being punched and knocked down, the woman was dragged away onto the railroad tracks and then the 210 freeway, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Transit Services Bureau.

​The woman was hospitalized in stable condition.

The suspect fled the area, but was arrested by deputies near Allen Avenue and Villa Street.

Los Angeles County booking records show Juan Pablo Flores, 33, was arrested August 7 by Transit Services Bureau deputies. He was booked on suspicion of attempted murder and is being held in lieu of $2 million bail at the Inmate Reception Center in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County Board Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued a statement in the wake of the attack:

“I am outraged to hear of yet another attack on our Metro system. I want to commend the transit deputies who responded quickly and apprehended the suspect. This incident is a perfect example of why we need to urgently address safety issues, not only on the Metro train system, but also at stations.
I expect a full report from Metro on what security measures will be put in place to increase security, especially during early morning commute hours.

“Our Metro Board has already taken some steps to improve public safety, including enforcing fares. But, it’s obvious to me that our Metro system commuters are still confronted with serious safety issues that cannot be ignored.”

Flores is scheduled for an appearance in Pasadena Superior Court Friday, August 9.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA - Detectives are searching for a man who sexually assaulted a woman after he entered the vehicle she was sitting in.

The assault occurred around 8:40 p.m. Saturday, April 13 near Sierra Madre Villa Avenue north of Foothill Boulevard.

After entering the woman’s vehicle, the suspect threatened her with a knife and forced her to drive to a new location where he assaulted her, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

The suspect fled after the victim fended him off.

The suspect is described as a Black man in his 30s to 40s. He stands 6 feet tall, is heavyset, wore a black face mask, wore a gray hooded raincoat, light blue jean pants and black shoes. He also had a distinct raspy voice. He carried a folding knife, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

Anyone with information leading to the suspect is urged to call the Pasadena Police Department at 626-744-4241. Remain anonymous 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 - An assault that occurred on the A Line train June 24 over a dropped cell phone certainly brings the adage “no good deed goes unpunished” to mind.

The incident occurred around 9:21 p.m. on an A Line train at the Memorial Park station. The victim, a 30-year-old man, told deputies a female suspect assaulted him with 15-inch deer antlers after he handed back a dropped cellphone to the sleeping passenger who owned it, according to Kari Mercer, public information officer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau.

The man sustained several contusions, a 1-inch laceration to his head, a 1-inch laceration to his left hand and a puncture wound on his right forearm.

The suspect armed with deer antlers, a 38-year-old Asian woman, apparently was looking in earnest at the dropped cellphone. The victim worried she was going to steal it, Mercer told SGV CityWatch.

“Fearing the female was going to steal the phone, the victim picked up the phone, woke the sleeping passenger and gave it to him. The suspect became irate, pulled deer antlers from her bag, and struck the victim multiple times on his head and arms,” Mercer said in a written statement.

The homeless suspect was located, arrested and booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

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.

PASADENA – A suspect was arrested May 7, accused of spraying a man with a flammable liquid and lighting him on fire onboard an L Line train, causing extensive burn injuries, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

The attack was reported around 10:55 p.m. According to witness statements, the unidentified suspect, a female, possibly exchanged words with the man prior to the attack, but it appeared the suspect and man did not know each other and the attack was unprovoked, according to Ramon Montenegro, public information officer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau.

The attack occurred near the Metro L Line Lake Station, Montenegro told SGV CityWatch

After the man was set on fire, patrons aboard the railcar used what means they could to extinguish the flames. Patrons pointed out the suspect to deputies who took her into custody, Montenegro told SGV CityWatch.

The injuries to the man, while extensive, are considered not life-threatening, Montenegro told SGV CityWatch.

“So far, we’ve been able to ascertain there was no relationship between the two. There was no argument that occurred. For some reason she did this,” Montenegro told SGV CityWatch.

The Sheriff’s Arson/Explosives Detail is investigating. The suspect’s name has not been released.

PASADENA – A 26-year-old woman is recuperating after being wounded in the neck during an early-morning assault, a Pasadena Police lieutenant said.

The assault occurred in the 2800 block of East Colorado Boulevard just after 2:30 a.m. March 27. Officers responded to the area to a woman who claimed she was stabbed, but could not find her after a search and calls to her cell phone. The woman turned up at a nearby emergency room, according to Lt. Marcia Taglioretti of the Pasadena Police Department.

The stabbing reportedly occurred at the Rodeway Inn & Suites, 2860 E. Colorado Blvd.

A hotel guest who wished her name not be used heard screams from a room somewhere at the hotel.

“I heard her screaming and the cops questioning people about the girl who got stabbed,” the guest told SGV CityWatch. “She was screaming ‘Help. No. No, please. No. Help me, please.”

Hospital staff notified the Pasadena Police Department that a woman arrived with a stab wound to the neck. Officers later found blood evidence of where the stabbing occurred, Taglioretti told SGV CityWatch.

A suspect remains at-large.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

PASADENA – Investigators believe a Houston, Texas man is behind a series of suspicious fires that all burned in close proximity to each other and over the course of one hour.

David William Powell, 40, is accused arson and attempted murder. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility on Los Angeles ahead of a scheduled appearance in Pasadena Municipal Court October 19.

Powell is believed to have ignited two very destructive residential fires, two smaller fires and used a hammer to attack a man October 17, authorities said.

The first destructive fire was dispatched at 5:41 p.m. in the 300 block of North Chester Avenue. The fire was located in a detached garage housing two vehicles. The fire extended into an adjacent apartment, according to Lisa Derderian, City Public Information Officer for Pasadena.

Around 6 p.m., firefighters then reported a fire burning one block east and discovered a residential structure well-involved with fire near Holliston Avenue and Corson Street, Derderian said in a written statement.

The Chester fire was quickly knocked down. The Holliston fire was knocked down in nearly 18 minutes. No one was home at the time, but the fire displaced all residents, Derderian said.

A third, but smaller, fire was reported and extinguished at a construction site just before 7 p.m. in the 700 block of East Walnut Street. Another small fire was reported and extinguished in the 1800 block of Locust Street just before 8 p.m., authorities said.

While the first two fires burned, Pasadena Police also responded to Allen Avenue and Corson Street to investigate an assault and found a man in his 50s suffering from major injuries allegedly caused in a hammer attack. The suspect fled in an SUV, authorities said.

Police saw a suspicious SUV near the fourth fire and attempted to stop the driver possibly linked to the hammer attack. The driver fled and ran briefly, but was caught. Police seized evidence allegedly linking Powell to the hammer attack and fires.

Damage caused in the Chester fire is estimated at $50,000. The fire damage on Holliston is estimated at $200,000 to the structure and $100,000 in contents, Derderian said.