Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA – An unknown thief or thieves cut through a fence and storage container to steal $55,000 worth of equipment used for training by the Los Angeles County Fire Department almost two weeks ago.

22 chainsaws and six rotary saws purchased by the fire department and eight saws donated by the Los Angeles County Fire Department Foundation were taken, according to Derrick Chapman, Los Angeles County Fire Department battalion chief and director of training.

The discovery was made at 10 a.m. June 19. After a chain link fence was cut, a lock hasp holding a storage container shut was destroyed to gain access to the equipment within. Damage caused was estimated at $500 to $1,000, Chapman told SGV CityWatch.

Chapman said this burglary was a devastating blow to the training program and while the program will have to make due with what remains, it will be a difficult journey.

The East County Training Center, 3325 W. Temple Ave., sits next to the shuttered Lanterman Developmental Center and it was from Lanterman that access was made to the training facility, Chapman told SGV CityWatch.

A security camera at a nearby business caught a mysterious box truck on the Lanterman property around 1 a.m. two days prior to the burglary, but it is unknown if there is a connection.

Occasionally, thieves will take random pieces of lumber used for live fire training, Chapman told SGV CityWatch.

The Glendale Fire Department reached out recently and said one of their facilities was also burglarized in a similar way within the last two weeks, Chapman told SGV CityWatch, but it is not yet clear if both crimes are connected.

“We need to come up with a plan,” Chapman said for ways to replace the stolen equipment. One possibility is to use a portion of state funding normally allocated for other needs.

Donations can also be made at the fire foundation website.

Anyone with information on this crime is urged to call the Pomona Police detective bureau at 909-620-2095.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA - A motorcyclist is in stable condition Friday morning after being found down on the road and wounded by gunfire, Pomona police said.

Officers responded to the area of West Mission Boulevard and West Temple Avenue on a report of a motorcyclist down. Initially believing the rider was a victim of a traffic collision, officers eventually discovered he was hit by gunfire, according to Sgt. Aguiar of the Pomona Police Department.

Police responded to the scene around 1:45 a.m. June 25.

No suspect is yet in custody, Aguiar told SGV CityWatch.

Aguiar was unsure what direction the rider was traveling when he was hit.

The roadway was reopened around 3:20 a.m.

Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to call the Pomona Police Department at 909-620-2085. 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

POMONA - A Chino man lost control of the semi he allegedly stole and crashed into parked vehicles, a power pole, a cinder block wall and a house while fleeing Pomona officers Saturday.

The semi’s owner tracked down the stolen truck after it was taken from a Montclair tire shop. He called Pomona Police around 12:19 p.m. after finding it still being driven, according to the Pomona Police Department.

Officers attempted to stop the suspect in the area of Reservoir Street and Philadelphia Street, but the driver refused to yield and fled eastbound on Philadelphia, Pomona Police said.

The driver crashed the semi near Pipeline Avenue and Philadelphia Street in Chino. He was immediately taken into custody.

Matthew Paul Gonzalez, a 27-year-old Chino resident, was medically cleared at a local hospital and booked into the Pomona jail on suspicion of grand theft auto.

Several homes were left without power and the unoccupied home struck by the semi sustained major structural damage, Pomona Police said.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA - Some lanes of the eastbound 60 freeway just west of Gary Avenue remain closed due to a multi-vehicle collision Saturday.

The No. 3 and 4 lanes have reopened. The HOV and No. 1 and 2 lanes will remain closed, according to the California Highway Patrol.

At least two vehicles, possibly two more, are involved in the collision, which was reported around 8:37 p.m.

A Honda CR-V was involved in the collision. It is unclear how the collision occurred.

One witness account stated that the CR-V may have been disabled on the shoulder and another vehicle crashed into it. Another account indicated that one of the vehicles involved in the crash may have been driving in opposing lanes of traffic, according to California Highway Patrol traffic logs.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department is on scene, but it is unclear how many injuries resulted from the crash.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA – What started out as a traffic stop for a missing front license plate and illegal window tint ended up with an arrest for narcotics and a weapon June 8, police said.

Pomona man Pete Garcia, 45, was booked on suspicion of possessing a firearm and narcotics, being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a felon in possession of ammunition, the Pomona Police Department said.

Police attempted a traffic stop around 8:40 p.m. at Reservoir Street and Philadelphia Street. Garcia stopped in the drive thru of Angelo’s Burgers, 902 W. Mission Blvd., and consented to a vehicle search, the Pomona Police Department said.

“Garcia consented to a search of the vehicle and a loaded firearm was recovered. Garcia was also in possession of narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia. He was arrested without incident and booked at the Pomona city jail,” according to the Pomona Police Department.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA - A 16-year-old male was abused, investigators claim, at the hands of his stepmother, abuse that led to the boy’s death.

Jessica Grajeda, 35, was arrested after the Pomona Police Major Crimes Unit investigated the boy’s death and determined that he was subject to repeated abuse and that biological father George Luis Almaraz, 32, did nothing to stop her, Pomona Police said.

Police responded to a home in the 600 block of Del Rosa Place just after Noon June 1 to investigate a call of “unknown trouble “ with someone needing CPR. The teen was found not breathing by LA County firefighters and officers, Pomona Police said.

The teen later died at a hospital.

“The investigation revealed that the victim had been assaulted by his step-mother immediately prior to needing medical assistance,” Pomona Police said in a written statement.

Five other juveniles ranging in age from 1 to 13 years old were at the home and later placed into protective custody. Detectives do not believe they suffered physical abuse, Pomona Police said.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office filed one count of murder and multiple counts of child abuse against Grajeda. One count of felony child abuse was filed against Almaraz. Both remain in custody, Pomona Police said.

Grajeda is being held in lieu of $2 million bail, according to Los Angeles County booking records.