 Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor REGION - A hit and run suspect wanted on attempted murder charges was caught February 16 after running from justice, investigators said. The July 12, 2023 crash was deliberate and left the victim with major injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol Baldwin Park Office. “The victim had been intentionally struck by a vehicle and left for dead,” according to the CHP in a written statement. “Through weeks of meticulous investigative work, officers identified the suspect as Darryl Sears.” The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed a murder warrant for Darryl’s arrest. Rogue River Police Department in Oregon arrested Sears, 41, February 16. With the help of the U.S. Marshal Service, Sears was extradited. He was arrested by CHP officers and booked at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station. Sears made an appearance in West Covina Superior Court February 28 and pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted murder, according to Los Angeles Superior Court records. Sears posted $400,000 bond and was released March 3. He is next scheduled to appear in court March 11.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - A woman missing since January 19 died in a crash on Mt. Baldy Road and investigators believe the crash was intentional. Faith Irwin, 66, died by suicide, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. Irwin’s silver 2020 Toyota Rav4 was being driven south when it went over Mt. Baldy Road, according to the California Highway Patrol Baldwin Park Office. First responders were sent to the scene of the crash near mile post marker 2.18 around 12:49 p.m. Tuesday, January 21. Irwin was last seen leaving her home around 5 a.m. A neighbor’s ring camera recorded her as she left. Her family and doctor were worried about her due to what was described as “physical and mental health concerns.” ********** The Medical Examiner record in this article is being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and is protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Death records are public information and are distributed by government sources.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - A fire apparatus overturned and crashed on Highway 39 above Azusa Sunday afternoon. The crash happened on the mountain road at mile marker 24 some time around 5:30 p.m. November 3. First responders were en route northbound to a reported cliff rescue when the fire apparatus overturned, according to Officer Larsen of the California Highway Patrol Traffic Management Center. Three fire personnel were transported to Foothill Presbyterian Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, according to preliminary info from the California Highway Patrol. The firefighters were from the Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 32, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. station 32 is based in the city of Azusa. Both northbound and southbound lanes of Highway 39 remain closed for the investigation. Closure for northbound lanes begins at Highway 39 and Old San Gabriel Canyon Road, while the roadway is closed at Glendora Mountain Road and Mount Baldy Road. The crash was briefly considered a hazmat scene after it was believed that oil spilled from the crashed apparatus near the San Gabriel Reservoir. Apparently, it was only water that spilled from the fire apparatus, according to CHP traffic logs. 150 feet of guard rail was also damaged in the crash.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - Parking capacity has been reached along the East Fork Road area in the San Gabriel Mountains above Azusa and drivers are being turned away Monday. The US Forest Service announced the closure at 11:16 a.m. September 2. The mouth of the canyon remains open and drivers will not encounter the closure until a few miles into the mountains. Traffic remains bumper-to-bumper along San Gabriel Canyon Road in both directions. Authorities have had to deal with the downsides of increased capacity in the canyons recently, dealing with excessive amounts of trash not properly disposed of and vehicles illegally parking along the roadways. Firefighters handled a roughly 3-acre brushfire sparked by a car fire along San Gabriel Canyon Road August 31. The California Highway Patrol is handling the closure.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The California Highway Patrol announced the arrest of a 32-year-old suspect, accusing him of attempted murder after an argument led to a shooting on a Foothill Transit bus Monday evening. Juan Mario Trejo, a West Covina resident, was located in Los Angeles less than 20 hours after the incident occurred. He was taken into custody and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Inmate Reception Center in Los Angeles, according to the California Highway Patrol. The victim struck by gunfire was taken to Los Angeles General Medical Center to be treated for injuries considered not life-threatening. A reported argument between a suspect, another rider and the bus driver on a Foothill Transit Silver Streak bus broke out on the westbound I-10 Freeway east of Puente Avenue around 6 p.m. June 17. The suspect revealed a firearm and a physical altercation ensued. Several shots were fired, according to the CHP. The double carriage bus on the Silver Streak line was transporting 17 other passengers when the shooting occurred, according to the CHP. The driver stopped the bus on the I-10 freeway at Puente Avenue where the suspect exited and fled on foot. The shooting was investigated by the California Highway Patrol Southern Division Major Crimes detectives in conjunction with the CHP Baldwin Park Office. Trejo is scheduled for an appearance in West Covina Superior Court Thursday, June 20. ********** 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 REGION - A man described as a career criminal with a violent past was slapped with a slew of charges Wednesday in the shooting of a uniformed deputy.
Raymundo Duran, 47, was charged with one count of attempted murder on a peace officer. He also was charged with one count of using a semiautomatic weapon to assault a peace officer and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Statements made by Duran during interrogation, combined with surveillance video at the crime scene, witness accounts and the gun seized from his vehicle lead investigators to strongly believe he is the suspect in Monday’s shooting. Duran was detained and eventually arrested by California Highway Patrol officers who booked him on suspicion of DUI and weapons possession. He was found parked at an undisclosed location by CHP officers from the San Onofre inspection facility. A firearm was recovered from the 2008 silver four-door Toyota Camry Duran was seated in. Duran did two stints in prison: in 2019 and 2022. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna also described his as a current gang member. Investigators do not believe that there are additional suspects involved in the shooting of Deputy Samuel Aispuro, a nearly 20-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The case is being filed for warrant as Duran remains in the custody of San Diego authorities, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The DA will recommend that Duran be held without bail. If convicted as charged, he faces life in prison.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - A suspect accused of shooting at another driver in January is behind bars after being found by California Highway Patrol investigators.
The suspect, who was not identified publicly by the CHP, fired a weapon multiple times at the intended victim while northbound on the 605 freeway at the 60 freeway January 14. “During the incident the suspect ultimately deliberately fired multiple rounds at the victim, with a clear disregard for anyone in that vehicle,” according to the CHP in a written statement. The suspect was arrested February 27. It is not immediately known if anyone was wounded during the shooting.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - Hikers reportedly stumbled upon a crash scene and a driver was saved after spending three frigid days inside the twisted wreck along Mt. Baldy Road Sunday.
The driver, only described as a middle-aged woman, was apparently alert enough to tell first responders that she had crashed and remained in her vehicle since Wednesday. She was taken by helicopter to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center for further treatment, according to Lt. Philpot of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station. The Ford Ranger crash happen along about Mt. Baldy Road north of Shinn Road. First responders were called to the scene around 12:30 p.m. A Los Angeles County fire engine was in the general area when the call was made, and firefighters were very quickly on scene, Philpot told SGV CityWatch. The driver was pulled from the vehicle, which was estimated to be 100 feet down from the roadway, according to the California Highway Patrol. The extent of injuries to the driver is unclear.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - CHP investigators arrested a man August 24 who they said shot at a motorist during a road rage incident in Glendora.
The shooting occurred July 28 on the east 210 freeway at Sunflower Avenue. Investigators believe 46-year-old Hector Belmonte Cuevas fired one shot at his victim, striking the driver-side door, according to the California Highway Patrol. Cuevas shattered his front passenger window during the shooting. He reportedly exited the freeway and drove in an unknown direction, according to the California Highway Patrol. “On Thursday, August 24, intelligence regarding the location of Belmonte Cuevas was obtained. At approximately 5:40 pm, CHP Southern Division ISU detectives, accompanied by a CHP canine team, arrested Belmonte Cuevas at a residence in Hesperia, CA,” according to the California Highway Patrol in a written statement. Cuevas was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, discharging a firearm at an occupied vehicle, assault with a firearm and other charges, according to the California Highway Patrol.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - A $20,000 reward will go to the person who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the hit and run driver who killed an Azusa father nearly seven years ago.
Dwayne Armenta, 36, was struck and killed by a motorist in the early-morning hours of November 23, 2016 on the east I-10 freeway near Kellogg Drive. It was Thanksgiving and Armenta’s Ford F-150 ran out of gas, so he began walking to find the nearest gas station. Armenta, an Azusa man, attempted to cross traffic lanes and was struck. The suspect driver in a dark-colored SUV stopped, but fled when another driver stopped to help. Construction contractors were taken to court over conditions on the freeway during a project. A judge agreed that poor lighting conditions created by construction contractors Guy F. Atkinson Construction LLC and High-Light Electric Inc. contributed to Armenta’s death. Each of Armenta’s children, who were 4 and 14 years old at the time, received a settlement. Anyone who can help identify the driver is urged to call the California Highway Patrol Baldwin Park Office at 626-338-1164. |
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