POMONA – A 7-Eleven employee is recovering after being shot by an incorrigible suspect who returned to thieve again from the convenience store while armed with a rifle April 18.

Josue Cervantes, 26, reportedly stole from the 7-Eleven, 1001 E. Grand Ave., previously. The employee recognized Cervantes as he approached around 3:30 a.m. and locked the door to keep him from entering, according to the Pomona Police Department.

Cervantes was reportedly armed with a rifle and ordered the employee to let him in. Cervantes reportedly opened fire at the employee through the glass. The employee was hit, according to the Pomona Police Department.

The employee was hospitalized and is expected to recover.

During a follow-up investigation, detectives located a discarded rifle and other belongings nearby. An officer spotted a person who looked like Cervantes. The person was fleeing from the area, according to the Pomona Police Department.

Cervantes was eventually found hiding in the rear yard of a residence and taken into custody.

Cervantes was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, robbery, criminal threats, assault with a deadly weapon, shooting into an inhabited dwelling and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is being held in lieu of more than $3.1 million bail ahead of a scheduled appearance in Pomona Superior Court April 22.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA - A man was killed, the victim of an early-morning shooting April 19.

Firefighters and police officers were dispatched to Arboleda Way and East Holt Avenue at 1 a.m. Tuesday to a gunshot victim. Firefighters declared the man dead at the scene, according to the Pomona Police Department.

It is not immediately clear if detectives have identified a motive or any suspects.

Anyone with information on this shooting is urged to call the Pomona Police Department at 909-622-1241. Information can be provided anonymously by 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

POMONA - A driver found unresponsive at the scene of a collision later died after being hospitalized, the Pomona Police Department said.

The crash occurred in the intersection of Valley Boulevard and Dupont Street around 2:44 p.m. April 17. There were others involved in the crash that were also hospitalized, but Pomona police did not elaborate on how many other injuries occurred.

It is apparently not yet clear if drugs and/or alcohol contributed to the crash, according to the Pomona Police Department.

The driver, only described as a man, was identified at the scene, but public identification will not be made until next of kin have been notified.

The Pomona Police Major Accident Investigation Team is determining what led to the collision. Anyone with information on this crash is urged to call the Pomona Police Department Traffic Services Bureau at 909-802-7741, or 909-620-2048.

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.

POMONA – A 34-year0old Pomona man was jailed April 7 after police reportedly found a drug-selling operation inside a home.

The illicit goods were discovered with the help of a search warrant. The suspect, Ivan Orozco, fled from officers after they saw him holding an open container of booze in the 300 block of Orchid Lane, according to the Pomona Police Department.

“When Officers attempted to contact him he ran towards an open garage. Officers contacted Ivan Cortez Orozco and located a loaded firearm on his person,” according to the Pomona Police Department in a written statement.

Inside the home, officers discovered what they described as a substantial amount of methamphetamine, scales, packaging materials and an undisclosed amount of U.S. money. The loaded firearm was later determined to be stolen, according to the Pomona Police Department.

Orozco was booked on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance with a firearm, possession of a controlled substance for sale, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing a loaded unregistered firearm and possession of a stolen firearm.

POMONA – A man accused of membership in a gang responsible for recent gun violence where an officer was fired upon and a triple shooting that left a man dead was jailed April 4, the Pomona Police Department said.

Pomona man Joshua “Green Eyes” Perez, 21, will be seeing red after he was booked on suspicion of resisting a peace officer, brandishing a firearm, possessing a leaded and unregistered firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a felon in possession of ammunition for his antics Monday.

Around 8 p.m. Monday, Pomona officers were called to Angela Street and Chanslor Street after an anonymous tip of a man in a moving vehicle brandishing a handgun at people. A search yielded a suspect vehicle: a white car being driven recklessly. The driver ran a stop sign and abruptly stopped, allowing one occupant to run, according to the Pomona Police Department.

A man and woman remained in the vehicle. They were detained by officers while a containment search was setup to find Perez.

Officers responded to the 2000 block of Pinehurst Drive on a prowler report and found Perez attempting to hide on someone’s property. Perez was found with a loaded handgun, according to the Pomona Police Department.

The other man in the vehicle, 32-year-old Rancho Cucamonga man David Lazaro, was booked on suspicion of a probation violation related to a no-bail warrant, the Pomona Police Department said.