Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - It has been three days since a 72-year-old man was last seen in the Mt. Baldy area, Sheriff’s officials said.
Kwang Sun Kim was last seen March 23 around 8 a.m. He told family that he was going for hike, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Missing Persons Unit. Kim is 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds, has brown eyes and short black hair. Anyone with information on Kim’s whereabouts is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Missing Person’s Unit at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3 Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A Pomona man was identified as a homicide victim found shot in a residential area.
Marvin Watkins, 57, was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. He was found dead on a sidewalk. Officers responded to Viewpoint Circle near Skyview Circle to investigate a gun fire call just before 7 p.m. March 23. Family members of the victim reported the shooting, Pomona Police said in a written statement. The Pomona Police department deemed the death a homicide, but the county coroner has yet to conduct an autopsy, according to public records. Anyone with information regarding the shooting is urged to contact the Pomona Police Department at 909-620-2085. The Cause of the Shooting Has Not Been Shared. CLICK TO READ MORE Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The suspect who hid away in Mexico until federal and Mexican authorities took him into custody faced arraignment on multiple murder charges Tuesday. Octavio Curiel Martinez, 38, was charged with one count each of murder, murder of a human fetus, attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited structure, assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, three misdemeanor counts each of cruelty to a child by endangering health, two counts each of assault with a firearm, injuring a spouse and child abuse, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Martinez also faced the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders and allegations of using a handgun, Santiago said. Martinez is accused of shooting and killing estranged wife Ana Nuñez, 37, and their unborn child August 29, 2018 in their El Monte home. Martinez was extradited from Mexico to the U.S. January 3 and arrested by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies. Martinez, a Mexican national, was originally arrested by Mexican police on unrelated charges May 17, 2019 in Bolanos, Jalisco, Mexico -- right where investigators believed he fled. Nuñez’s family went to her El Monte home to check on her hours after Martinez allegedly fired upon, but failed to injure a family member. She was found with multiple gunshot wounds, investigators said. Nunez and her unborn child later died at a hospital. The coroner listed her cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds of the torso. The estranged couple share additional children who were not home when the shooting took place, investigators said. A state warrant was issued for Curiel-Martinez’s arrest September 5, 2018. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued a federal arrest warrant March 15, 2019 and he was federally charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, the FBI said.
The arrest and extradition was the work of the Policía Federal Ministerial, Fiscalia General de la Republica, Instituto Nacional de Migracion, the FBI’s Legal Attaché in Mexico City, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detectives, the El Monte Police Department and the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. The extradition was handled by prosecutors with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs. “Curiel-Martinez’s extradition was sponsored by the U.S. government’s “Project Welcome Home,” which provides funding for the transportation of FBI fugitives to the United States, where the repatriation by the host country occurs through deportation or extradition,” the FBI said. A $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of Curiel-Martinez, but it is unclear if anyone will claim the reward. If convicted as charged, Martinez faces a possible maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - Coroner investigators revealed the cause of death for a woman found dead in Rowland Heights March 23. Miaoxian Liu, 47, died from blunt force trauma. Her death was listed as suicide, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Firefighters and deputies responded to the 18900 block of Daisetta Street just before 8:30 a.m. Monday. The woman was declared dead at the scene. SGV CityWatch was sent a screenshot of the death scene, likely moments after Liu took her own life.
The photo, originally shared on a Facebook information page for Rowland Heights, showed Liu’s body near a staircase on the ground level of a shopping complex. A man likely sweeping the walkway stood over Liu’s body. Liu, who suffered from depression, was listed as a missing person March 21 and was sought by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Missing Person’s Detail. on March 22, deputies reported she was found. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - City governments, businesses, people continue looking for ways to adapt while trying to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which continues to creep its way across the region and beyond. Law enforcement agencies in every city have modified some procedures to limit unnecessary contact to contain the illness’ spread, while at the same time maintaining the same level of service to their residents. Most police and sheriffs stations across the San Gabriel Valley have severely limited public access to their lobbies and parking lots, only allowing access for child custody exchanges, allowing people required by law to check in for compliance to terms of release, or for emergency situations. Most law-enforcement agencies have requested non-emergency reports be made online at the department’s website. Citizen academies, police explorer and volunteer programs are suspended until further notice. Special equipment has been provided to officers and deputies and response protocols have been established to assist in encountering individuals who may be infected with coronavirus.
Health officials said 94 people are confirmed infected in Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles county department of public health released the number of coronavirus cases in the San Gabriel Valley and location of patients: Alhambra - 2 Arcadia - 1 Diamond Bar - 2 Glendora - 1 San Dimas - 1 South Pasadena - 1 11 cases are still being investigated, health officials said. Two coronavirus-related deaths occurred in Riverside County, one occurred with a cardiac arrest patient at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center in Pomona. Most restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters and more have complied with strong recommendations to close at the behest of county and state leaders. Cities have canceled, or postponed public events and programs. Area libraries have also closed down. School districts, colleges and universities have ended on-campus instruction into April, opting for online instruction where possible — the latest being the West Covina Unified School District, which announced Sunday that an individual at West Covina High School was infected. Los Angeles county sheriff Alex Villanueva announced the release of the inmates with less than 30 days left on their sentences at county jail facilities in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department typically arrests 300 people on a daily basis, but arrests have dwindled to roughly 60 per day, Villanueva said. The Los Angeles Superior Court has continued or adjourned cases for as many as 30 days, only allowing limited hearings and the handling of emergency matters in criminal, civil, probate, family law and juvenile cases. “I want to be clear that our actions here at the county level are not intended to incite panic nor fear. Rather, our goal is mitigation,” said Kathryn Barger, 5th District County Board supervisor. “Limiting public gatherings, practicing social distancing, washing hands thoroughly and staying home when ill are the best ways residents can support our work to contain the coronavirus.” Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - An inmate working at a conservation camp March 15 died after being electrocuted during a work mishap, a Sheriff’s sergeant said.
The unidentified inmate died at the Julius Klein Conservation Camp, referred to as Camp 19, located in the San Gabriel Mountains at 2367 East Fork Rd. “One of the inmate workers up there was doing work and he got electrocuted. It seems to be an accident,” according to Sgt. Gauthier of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station. Firefighters were called to the scene just before 12:30 p.m. A fire department supervisor, safety officer, multiple engines from Glendora and Azusa, the U.S. Forest Service as well as a helicopter were called to the camp, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department radio traffic. The helicopter, likely called with the intent of transporting the inmate, was eventually canceled from the call. Remaining firefighters stayed at the scene for more than six hours before leaving. The Julius Klein Conservation Camp, which opened March 1, 1986, consists of 10 personnel from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and 13 Los Angeles County personnel who oversee six inmate hand crews and additional in-camp support inmates. Regular duties include fuel reduction and trail maintenance, motorway maintenance, roadway maintenance, roadside trash and debris collection. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor BALDWIN PARK - A DUI checkpoint will be held in the unincorporated area of Azusa starting at 8 p.m. Friday, March 13, the Baldwin Park CHP Office said. Placing checkpoints on roads with identified DUI problems and detaining drivers for a very limited time “helps to assure we conform to the guidelines,” according to Baldwin Park CHP Captain Susan Estrem. Officers trained in detecting impaired drivers will be equipped with hand-held breath testing devices in an effort to get an accurate blood-alcohol concentration. All vehicles will be checked, traffic permitting. If traffic volume becomes too heavy, every third and fifth vehicle will be checked to maintain objectivity, the CHP said. Estrem added that checkpoints can “reduce the number of drinking drivers on the road, even though arrest totals do not rise dramatically.” A major value of checkpoints is their psychological influence. The Checkpoint Is Scheduled for 8 p.m. CLICK TO READ MORE Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The manner of death for a man found inside a vehicle in El Monte last week was revealed recently. Michael Meza, 27, died from a gunshot wound to the head. His death was ruled a homicide, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Meza was found dead inside a parked vehicle in the 11000 block of E. Lower Azusa Road just after 7:30 a.m. Friday, March 6. He was found in the driver seat. He was likely killed the same morning he was found, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3 Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - Coroner investigators determined how a man died after his body was discovered when firefighters extinguished an apartment fire in Azusa. Angelito Panganiban, 63, died from inhalation of products of combustion. His death was ruled as accidental, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. His son, Alberto Panganiban, 26, died from the exact same cause and in the same manner in the October 24, 2019 fire. The fire burned in a two-story apartment complex in the 800 block of W. 13th St. Firefighters were dispatched at 9:12 p.m., extinguished the flames at 9:46 p.m., according to Dispatch Supervisor Martin Rangel of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
One other person was hospitalized with unspecified injuries. An adjacent unit received smoke damage and the occupants were displaced, according to Los Angeles County Firefighters on scene. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The suspect who pleaded guilty to his part in a drug trafficking conspiracy and to money laundering was sentenced to a mere 63 months in prison. Mexican national Edgar Limon, 39, was also ordered to pay a $17,500 fine for his involvement in an international narcotics network that transported 21 pounds of pure methamphetamine across the border with Mexico on behalf of a group linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Limon, the last of 22 suspects named in a 19-count indictment, pleaded guilty July 17, 2019. He is one of nine that were taken into custody pursuant to the unsealed 2017 indictment and the last of those to be sentenced. The other eight received 135-month sentences. Five other suspects, including Limon’s brother and lead suspect Jeuri Limon Elenes, remain fugitives and may be hiding in Mexico, the DOJ said. The case was the result of a two-year wiretap investigation by the Los Angeles Strike Force, comprised of members from the FBI, DEA, IRS Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshal Service and the Azusa Police Department.
The scheme involved the import of hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin into the U.S. The drugs were distributed through a network of Sinaloa Cartel associates. The domestic revenue was funneled back to Mexico, the DOJ said. The drugs were stored in stash houses across the San Gabriel Valley. Limon was in charge of one of those locations. From June 2014 to April 2016, Limon and his fellow traffickers had an agreement to distribute and process with intent to distribute, methamphetamine in the LA area. Two of these stash houses where Limon hid drugs were in El Monte and Azusa. The latter served as a distribution point for methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, the DOJ said. The Los Angeles Strike Force seized 290 pounds of methamphetamine, 280 pounds of cocaine, 30 pounds of heroin, and 81 pounds of marijuana — a $6 million street value, the DOJ said. Limon and his fellow traffickers also conducted financial transactions in ways that concealed their illegal origins in drug trafficking, the DOJ said. Limon’s mother and cousin were charged and sentenced to 87 months in federal prison. The Los Angeles Strike Force was formed in 2014 to combat the use of the Los Angeles metro area as a hub for drug distribution across the US by Mexican cartels. The Strike Force seeks to target high-level traffickers, disrupt and dismantle drug distribution networks and money laundering activities and arrest and prosecute cartel leaders and operatives, the DOJ said. |
Archives
January 2024
Categories
All
|