Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA - Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating after Pomona officers opened fire on a man, killing him Tuesday.

The shooting took place around Midnight at the intersection of North Hamilton Boulevard and West Center Street June 25. The suspect was treated at the scene and taken to a hospital where he later died, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

Video from the scene showed a vehicle riddled with bullets parked on a street.

The Sheriff’s Information Bureau said detectives are trying to determine what led up to the police shooting.

No officers were injured. A weapon was recovered at the scene, according to the PomonaPolice Department.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is also investigating.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA - A brief audio recording was released detailing a woman trying to escape a driver who was apparently following her around town January 15.

Once police caught up and located the suspect, he evaded officers for a brief time until crashing into another vehicle in Ontario. He failed to escape on foot after the crash and was taken into custody, according to the Pomona Police Department.

Luis Puga, 31, was officially charged in court with stalking, felony evading, felony hit-and-run and attempting to remove a firearm from an officer, according to the Pomona Police Department, according to the Pomona Police Department.

The female driver being followed kept a cool head and called Pomona dispatchers around 8:30 p.m. January 15. The driver reported that the man, identified by officers as Puga, was aggressively following her while driving. He insisted that she pull over and at one point he abruptly stopped his SUV in front of her to compel her to stop, according to the Pomona Police Department.

“Officers located the suspect, and a pursuit ensued. The suspect crashed into a vehicle in the City of Ontario, and in an attempt to escape, he tried to run away. With the assistance of Ontario PD’s Air Unit, the suspect was located. During the apprehension, the suspect attempted to remove an officer’s firearm,” according to the Pomona Police Department in a written statement.

Puga appears to have a extensive rap sheet. He was arrested twice in 24 hours in Claremont Christmas Eve 2024, accused of DUI.

Puga also was arrested after allegedly burglarizing at home in Azusa in 2014. He apparently entered the home after knocking on the door. He received no answer. The residents arrived home and found him eating food at the kitchen table, according to the Azusa Police Department.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA - A Claremont man was identified as a suspect in a May 28 robbery where his victim escaped injury after being shot at.

The robbery took place in the area of Holt Avenue and Clark Avenue around 11:45 p.m. Sunday. During the robbery a suspect, identified as Dana Christian Torrez, 37, allegedly opened fire on his victim. The rear window of the victim’s vehicle was shattered, according to the Pomona Police Department.

“While conducting a search of the area, officers managed to locate the individual believed to be responsible. However, the individual displayed a lack of cooperation and disregarded the commands given by the officers,” according to the Pomona Police Department in a written statement.

Officers were soon able to take Torrez into custody.

Torrez has since been officially charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office with shooting at an inhabited vehicle, assault with a deadly weapon with a firearm, robbery, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Torrez is being held in lieu of $3 million bail. He is expected to make another appearance in Pomona Superior Court Thursday June 1.

POMONA – Police and prosecutors accuse a man of going on a stabbing spree October 7, leaving four people wounded and one of his bleeding victims robbed.

Jesus Perez-Paniagua, a 21-year-old Pomona man, was formally charged October 10 with four counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of armed robbery and one count of possession of a dagger, according to the Pomona Police Department.

Officers were called to the 400 block of East Kingsley Avenue around 1:12 a.m. October 7 and found two victims with multiple stab wounds. The suspect was not found and both victim were treated at a hospital for their wounds, according to the Pomona Police Department.

Around 1:30 a.m., officers were told of a stabbing victim that wound up at a hospital. The third stabbing occurred in the 500 block of Vinton Street.

Around 6:40 a.m., a fourth stabbing call was made. In the 900 block of North Eleanor Street, officers found a stabbing victim who reported being robbed as well, but the victim was able to provide a suspect description and described the property stolen, according to the Pomona Police Department.

Perez was found and detained at Towne Avenue and Kingsley Avenue. Officers reportedly found a bloody knife in his possession and the stolen property.
 
“Perez-Paniagua made statements indicating his involvement in the stabbing on Eleanor St.,” according to the Pomona Police Department in a written statement.

A warrant search at Perez’s home helped investigators find additional evidence tying to the first two stabbings, according to the Pomona Police Department.

All four victims are expected to recover.

POMONA – A Pomona man was arrested August 7 after being hit with bean bag rounds after assaulting an officer by throwing a pocket knife at him, the Pomona Police Department said.
 
Jose Luis Hernandez, 42, allegedly refused to comply with the commands of officers who responded to Hamilton Boulevard and Second Street to calls of gunfire. After officers detained two men matching suspect descriptions, Hernandez became uncooperative.
 
“The suspect armed himself with a pocket knife and threw it at a group of Officers, striking one of our Officers. Officers made multiple attempts to de-escalate the situation but were unsuccessful. The suspect was struck with bean bag rounds and taken into custody,” according to the Pomona Police Department in a written statement.
 
Multiple shell casings were located along with four firearms, according to the Pomona Police Department.
 
Hernandez is being held in lieu of $950,000 bail.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA - Police announced Monday the arrest of a suspect in an April 19 shooting that left a man dead.

Felipe De Jesus Arias-Telles, a 36-year-old Santa Ana resident, was arrested May 12 in Anaheim. One count of murder was filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, according to the Pomona Police Department.

Hawthorne resident Joshua Ellis, 30, was found dead from apparent gunfire at Holt Avenue and Arbolada Way when officers were dispatched to investigate a reported shooting victim.

Police were sent to the scene at 1 a.m.

“Investigators from the Pomona Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit responded to the scene to assume the investigation. Through an extensive investigation, Investigators identified Arias-Telles in connection to the murder of Joshua Ellis,” according to the Pomona Police Department in a written statement.

Anyone with information on this shooting is urged to call the Pomona Police Department at 909-622-1241. 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 – Officers with the Pomona Police Major Crimes Task Force and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office uncovered an illegal casino operating inside a home May 11.

Numerous citizen complaints and anonymous tips led to a search warrant being served at a residential complex at 1046 E. Third St. Cash and two firearms were seized from the location. Police detained 20 people inside the location and arrested three on outstanding warrants, according to the Pomona Police Department.

Major Crimes Task Force officers also seized multiple “fish game” tables and upright machines. All of the illegal gaming devices were destroyed, pursuant to a court order, according to the Pomona Police Department.

The residential building featured fortified entrances.

“The tenant of the property was not at the location but the investigation will continue and the property owner was notified,” according to the Pomona Police department in a written statement.

Assisting the Major Crimes Task Force was the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Investigation – Community Violence Interdiction Team.

POMONA – The Pomona Police Department announced the arrest of two men involved in the shooting death of a driver from 2021.

Aurelio Camarillo, 44, and Luis Silva, 28, were found and arrested in the shooting death of 32-year-old Luis Alberto Garcia, who was found wounded after crashing his pickup truck, according to the Pomona Police Department.

“Both Camarillo and Silva confessed their involvement in the murder to Detectives,” according to the Pomona Police Department in a written statement.

Officers responded to Holt Boulevard and Erie Street around 5:22 p.m. March 20, 2021 to investigate the crash and found Garcia suffering a gunshot wound. He was hospitalized and later died, according to the Pomona Police Department.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed a murder charge against Camarillo, shooting at an occupied vehicle and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Silva was charged with being an accessory after the fact, according to the Pomona Police Department.

The suspects reside in Pomona.

POMONA – Authorities announced Tuesday the arrest of a suspect in the shooting and killing an Apple Valley man.

Donald Moore, a 37-year-old Pomona man, is accused of being the gunman who murdered Enrique Falcon, 35, in the 300 block of East Foothill Boulevard just before 7 p.m. February 2. The arrest occurred the same night of the killing, according to the Pomona Police Department.

Officers were called to investigate the sound of gunfire in the area and found Falcon suffering from a gunshot wound. First responders attempted to save Falcon, but he died at the scene, according to the Pomona Police Department.

“That same night, Detectives obtained information that lead them to a nearby hotel room, where they located and detained Donald Moore. Later that evening and after further investigation and questioning by Detectives, Moore confessed to the murder of Enrique Falcon,” according to the Pomona Police Department in a written statement.

One count of murder was filed against Moore by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

POMONA – Police announced December 16 the arrest of a third suspect in a 2014 murder.

Renall Sanford-Anderson, a 26-year-old Pomona resident, was arrested December 9.  He was charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office with murder in the shooting death of Tory Lawton.

Lawton, 36, was found suffering multiple gunshot wounds in the area of Las Vegas Avenue and La Verne Avenue November 9, 2014. Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics attempted to save him, but Lawton died at the scene, according to the Pomona Police Department.

Detectives previously arrested Eastvale resident Kyle Henry Marende, 31, and Paul Wiley, 27, of Pomona.

Marende and Wiley were both charged with murder, the Pomona Police Department said.

Wiley, arrested September 1, 2018, is being held without bail in the Men’s Central jail in Los Angeles ahead of a scheduled appearance in Pomona Superior Court January 10, 2022.

Marende, arrested March 26, 2020, is being held in lieu of more than $3 million bail. Anderson is being held without bail. Both are housed in the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic ahead of a scheduled appearance in Pomona Superior Court January 13, 2022.