Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA - A Pomona man is facing a DUI charge, accused of driving in opposing lanes of the I-10 freeway Thursday.

A CHP officer intercepted the alleged DUI driver near the 57 freeway and intentionally struck the suspect’s vehicle to prevent a major collision, according to the California Highway Patrol.

CHP dispatchers began receiving calls of a wrong way driver on the eastbound I-10 near Milliken Avenue around 2:24 a.m. CHP Baldwin Park and Rancho Cucamonga units responded, according to the CHP.

A traffic break was started east of the 57 freeway when the wrong way driver was spotted.

“The officers used their patrol vehicle to intentionally collide with the wrong-way driver's vehicle, successfully causing it to spin out. The wrong-way vehicle then struck another civilian vehicle before coming to a complete stop,” according to the CHP in a written statement.

The CHP officer’s unit also hit the center divider. Both the suspect and civilian driver were assessed, the latter received minor injuries. The officers also suffered minor injuries.

Pomona man 22-year-old Javier Gudino was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence. He is being held in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station jail, according to Los Angeles County booking records.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA - A man allegedly under the influence reportedly had to be subdued with a stun gun when he allegedly tried to assault officers with a tree branch after climbing to the roof of a 7-Eleven, September 12.

The incident unfolded at the 7-Eleven, 1546 W. Mission Blvd. The man was reportedly seen walking on the roof of the convenience store. Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation for three hours, according to the Pomona Police Department.

At one point, the man jumped from the roof of the 7-Eleven and grabbed a large tree branch. Eventually, the man came down, but was allegedly combative with officers and tried to beat them with a tree branch, according to the Pomona Police Department.

The man, Arturo Torres, a 53-year-old San Gabriel resident, was eventually subdued with a stun gun and taken into custody.

He was booked on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance, resisting a peace officer, assault with a deadly weapon likely to produce great bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon likely to produce great bodily injury on a peace officer, and disturbing the peace.

Torres is being held in lieu of $65,000 bail at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic. His next scheduled appearance in West Covina Superior Court is Friday, September 20.

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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

POMONA - A crash late Saturday night killed two people at the scene, a third died later at a hospital and alcohol is to blame, police said.

The accused DUI driver, Victor Siharath, a 36-year-old Pomona resident, was arrested at the scene after officers determined he was driving while impaired. He was booked on suspicion of felony DUI, according to the Pomona Police Department.

First responders were sent to White Avenue at Phillips Boulevard just before 11 p.m. Saturday, March 2.

Two other people injured in the crash remain hospitalized.

Siharath was the sole occupant in his vehicle.

The Pomona Police Department Major Accident Investigation Team is investigating. Anyone with information about this collision is urged to call the Pomona Police Department Traffic Services Bureau at 909-620-2048.

Remain anonymous by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org.

POMONA – Extra officers will be patrolling city streets February 13, Super Bowl Sunday.
 
The extra patrol officers will be searching for signs of impairment in drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
 
“If you plan to have a drink or two, choose a sober way to get to and from wherever you are watching the game,” according to Pomona Police Cpl. Thomas De La Vega in a written statement. “Have a ride-hailing service or a family member who hasn’t been drinking take you home.”
 
Funding for these patrols is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

POMONA – More officers are patrolling Pomona streets to look for drivers suspect of DUI.

Extra officers began the operation November 30 and are expected to continue DUI patrols until December 14, according to the Pomona Police Department.

“Tragically, there is an uptick in impaired drivers during the holidays. During the 2019 Christmas (Dec. 24-Dec. 26) and New Year’s Day (Dec. 28, 2018-Jan. 2, 2019) holiday periods, there were more drunk-driving related deaths (210) throughout the country than during any other holiday period in 2019,” according to the Pomona Police Department in a written statement.

Funding for these patrols was provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

POMONA – Police are planning a DUI/driver license checkpoint and DUI saturation patrols scheduled for Friday, October 29.

The checkpoint, to be held at an undisclosed location, is scheduled to last from 9 p.m. Friday, to 3 a.m. Saturday, October 30. The saturation patrols are scheduled to last from 7 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday, according to the Pomona Police Department.

“DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols are done in locations with a higher frequency of DUI-related collisions and arrests. During the checkpoint, officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, with officers checking drivers for proper licensing,” according to the Pomona Police Department in a written statement.

Citing data from 2017, police investigated 127 DUI collision in Pomona, resulting in 49 injuries and one death.

The costs incurred through a DUI arrest and subsequent court appearances, fines, fees, DUI classes and license suspension can top $13,500, according to the Pomona Police Department.

Funding for this DUI campaign is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

POMONA – The Pomona Police Department is scheduling extra officers to find DUI drivers April 20 and is planning a DUI checkpoint Friday, April 23.
 
Beginning Tuesday, April 20 at 7 p.m., additional Pomona officers will patrol city streets in search of drivers under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The patrols will end at 3 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Pomona Police Department.
 
A DUI checkpoint is scheduled for Friday, April 23 to begin at 9 p.m. The checkpoint, to be held at an undisclosed location, will end Saturday at 3 a.m.
 
“In 2017, the Pomona Police Department investigated 127 DUI collisions which claimed 1 life and resulted in another 49 injuries,” according to the Pomona Police Department in a written statement.
 
“’DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.’  If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you might be impaired enough to get a DUI. Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI,” the Pomona Police Department said.
 
Funding for these operations is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA – Police have scheduled a DUI/Driver License checkpoint and patrols to begin Friday, November 20.

The checkpoint will run from 9 p.m. Friday, to 3 a.m. November 21. Patrols are scheduled to run from 7 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday, according to the Pomona Police Department.

“DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols are done in locations with a higher frequency of DUI-related collisions and arrests. During the checkpoint, officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, with officers checking drivers for proper licensing,” according to the Pomona Police Department.

In 2017, the Pomona Police Department investigated 127 DUI collisions which claimed one life and resulted in another 49 injuries, while statewide 1,120 people were killed in alcohol-involved crashes on California roads, Pomona Police said.

Funding for these operations are provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA - One driver was arrested and booked on suspicion of driving under the influence during a DUI checkpoint and patrol operation October 23, Pomona Police said.

Officers also arrested or cited 46 other drivers on suspicion of driving without a license, or driving on a suspended or revoked license. 15 vehicles were also impounded, according to the Pomona Police Department.

The checkpoint was held from 9 p.m. October 23 to 3 a.m. October 24 at Holt Avenue and Hershey Street. Additional officers were also conducting roving DUI patrols from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.

DUI Checkpoints are placed in locations based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests. In 2018, Pomona Police Department investigated 127 DUI collisions that injured 49 people, according to the Pomona Police Department.

POMONA - The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged an alleged drunk driver in a horrific crash that left a vehicle embedded into a home and a woman dead.

Carmelino Martinez Ordonez, 33, faces a charge of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He is accused of crashing into a home at Hamilton Boulevard and Colony Drive around 9:21 p.m. September 17, according to the Pomona Police Department.