 PHOTO courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. 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 - 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 - 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.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The man found shot dead inside a vehicle in El Monte March 6. Michael Meza, 27, was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Meza was discovered dead inside a vehicle parked in the 11000 block of East Lower Azusa Road just after 7:30 a.m. Friday. Meza reportedly suffered from at least one gunshot wound, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
Investigators haven’t stated publicly if Meza died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, or if someone else pulled the trigger. A coroner exam has yet to be scheduled, according to public coroner records. Investigators believe the shooting occurred in the early morning hours March 6. Anyone with information on this incident is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Provide information anonymously by calling L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3 Tips mobile app, or at lacrimestoppers.org.  PHOTOS/Courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - The FBI announced the extradition and arrest of a man sought in a shooting that claimed his spouse’s life and their unborn child. Octavio Curiel-Martinez, 37, was extradited from Mexico to the U.S. January 3 and arrested by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies. He awaits prosecution by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, according to a joint statement issued by the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. Curiel-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 after they say he killed his estranged wife, Ana Maria Nunez, 37, and their unborn child. The county DA formally requested Curiel-Martinez’s extradition and a provisional arrest warrant was issued by the Mexican government May 23, 2019. Family of Nunez went to her El Monte home August 29, 2018 to check on her welfare hours after Curiel-Martinez allegedly fired upon, but failed to injure a family member. Nunez 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 shooting took place in the 2700 block of Leafdale Avenue in El Monte. The estranged couple share additional children who were not home when the shooting took place, investigators said. Curiel-Martinez was charged in Los Angeles County Superior Court with two counts of murder, attempted murder, two counts of assault with a firearm, shooting at an inhabited dwelling or occupied car, two counts of corporal injury to a spouse, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, two counts of felony child endangerment and six counts of misdemeanor child endangerment, the FBI 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.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The California Highway Patrol arrested a carjacking and pursuit suspect after he fled across lanes of the 110 freeway south of the 91 freeway Tuesday. A victim called El Monte Police around 11:42 p.m. July 9 to report being carjacked on the I-10 freeway east of the 605 in Baldwin Park. El Monte officers located the vehicle, the driver refused to stop and fled south on the 605 freeway, according to Lt. Michael Buckhannon of the El Monte Police Department. The pursuit was turned over to the CHP. Officers from a handful of CHP stations chased the suspect as he drove through area freeways. The suspect attempted to take the south 110 freeway from the northbound 405, but lost control of the vehicle and crashed.
The suspect ran across north and southbound lanes of the 110 freeway and was caught a short time later, according to a written statement provided by Simeon Yarbrough of the California Highway Patrol South Los Angeles Area office. Arrested was Gabriel Lopez, 33, who was booked on suspicion of carjacking, kidnapping, grand theft and vehicle theft. He is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to the CHP.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor EL MONTE - Police and Sheriff’s deputies have a pursuit suspect surrounded in a mobile home park as the driver refuses to stop. The driver behind a reported stolen vehicle from West Covina is circling the roads in the Brookside Country Club, 12700 Elliot Ave. All entrances and exits into the mobile home park are covered, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s radio traffic. A deputy with the Sheriff’s Temple Station began pursuing the suspect in the El Monte area just after 9 p.m. after the deputy discovered the license plate belonged to a stolen vehicle.
The driver fled the deputy through El Monte streets into the Brookside Country Club where El Monte officers took over the pursuit. No officers are chasing the suspect at this time as they hold the entrances and exits, likely hoping the suspect surrenders willingly. Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  PHOTOS/Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The FBI is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of a man accused of gunning down his pregnant wife, an act which also killed his unborn child. Octavio Curiel-Martinez, 37, a Mexican national allegedly shot to death estranged wife Ana Maria Martinez, 37, in the home they shared in the 2700 block of Leafdale Avenue August 29, 2018. Hours prior, Curiel-Martinez allegedly shot at a family member multiple times, but failed to cause any injury. Family drove to check on Ana Maria’s well-being and found her shot, according to the FBI. DOWNLOAD THE WANTED FLYER>>  Ana Maria and her unborn child were declared dead later at an area hospital.
After shooting at a family member, Curiel-Martinez fled in a red two-door 2018 Toyota Tacoma, which features a chrome utility box in the truck’s bed. The truck features California license plate number 81718L2. Curiel-Martinez may be residing somewhere in Mexico, specifically the town of Bolanos in Jalisco, the FBI said. Martinez was charged with two counts of murder, attempted murder, two counts of assault with a firearm, shooting at an inhabited dwelling or occupied car, two counts of corporal injury to spouse, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, two counts of felony child endangerment and six counts of misdemeanor child endangerment. The estranged couple have addition children, who were not home at the time of the shooting, investigators said. A state arrest warrant was issued September 5, 2018. A federal arrest warrant followed March 15, 2019 after Curiel-Martinez was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Curiel-Martinez is about 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 190 to 204 pounds, has brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone who knows Curiel-Martinez’s whereabouts is urged to call the local FBI field office, or the nearest consulate or American embassy.  PHOTO/Beaumont Police. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor BEAUMONT - A 60-year-old teacher at El Monte Union High School District was jailed March 19 in a sexual abuse case that occurred in 2018, Beaumont Police announced. Miguel Yvan Lazo, a Beaumont resident, was arrested at El Monte High School, 3048 Tyler Ave., Tuesday and was booked on a felony arrest warrant for lewd acts with a child under 14 years of age, Beaumont Police said. The incident occurred in 2018. Beaumont Police responded to an area hospital to investigate a sexual assault claim. The girl was taken by her parents to the emergency room to report the abuse.
The alleged abuse occurred in a family member’s residence in Beaumont, Beaumont Police said. “His arrest and this investigation does not involve any allegations related to his employment with the El Monte Union High School District,” Beaumont Police said. Lazo was arrested by El Monte Police at 8:15 a.m. March 19 and was held in lieu of $55,000 bail, Los Angeles County booking records show.  PHOTO/Google Maps. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - Police said a 19-year-old El Monte resident was carrying a cellphone and wore headphones as he walked through an activated railroad crossing and was struck by a westbound train February 7. Mauricio Kevin Moreno died at the scene of the collision in the 3200 block of North Cogswell Road just after 10 a.m.
Los Angeles-Bound train 319 collided with the pedestrian. The tracks between Baldwin Park and El Monte are closed, according to a statement issued by Metrolink. The train and its passengers were finally able to continue to Los Angeles two hours and 10 minutes behind schedule. |
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