Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

LA PUENTE - A victim shot in the face by an unknown assailant died last week of his injuries exactly two weeks after being injured, authorities said.
 
Francisco Lopez, 30, was shot in the face outside QQ Bargain Dollar Mart, 401 S. Azusa Ave., around 9 p.m. Friday, June 22. Lopez was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.
 
Lopez died Friday, July 6.
 
The suspect fled with two female accomplices in a black, older-model car with collision damage to the passenger side, according to Sheriff’s deputies during the initial incident.

The gunman was described as a Hispanic man between 20 to 30 years old. The two female accomplices, the driver and rear passenger, are Hispanic and between 20 to 25 years old.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

LA HABRA HEIGHTS - Deputies quickly arrested man who admitted to brandishing a handgun at another driver Friday night.

The driver, only identified as a Hispanic man, pointed a handgun at the victim at Hacienda Road and West Road around 9:14 p.m. The suspect apparently did not try to rob the victim, nor did the crime occur as the result of a fight.

“It wasn’t a robbery and it wasn’t a fight. It was just a guy who pointed a pistol at a guy in another car,” said Lt. Hugo Reynaga of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Industry Station.

Deputies responded after the victim called 9-1-1 and after being given a vehicle description, deputies located the suspect in his black Porsche Cayenne and conducted a high-risk stop, Reynanga said.

The suspect was arrested at Hacienda Boulevard and Haliburton Road in Hacienda Heights and admitted to having a gun in his vehicle.

The suspect’s name was not readily available.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced the arrest of a man Saturday who helped kidnap, beat and murder a young man near Azusa.
 
Matthew Luzon Martin-Capiendo was recognized as he exited the AMC Montebello 10 Theater in Montebello around 6:30 p.m. June 30, according to Deputy Joana Warren of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
 
Martin-Capiendo was booked at the Montebello Police Department jail and is being held without bail. He is expected in court today, Warren said.
 
Martin-Capiendo and three other suspects, who are also behind bars, are accused of kidnapping, robbing and beating a man, identified as 20-year-old Julian Hamori-Andrade May 29. The four suspects further beat him and dumped his body over the side of San Gabriel Canyon Road above Azusa.
 
The victim’s body was discovered by Sheriff’s deputies the next day, immediately followed by an announcement of the arrest of three suspects, Hercules Dimitrios Balaskas, a 19-year-old Glendora man, Francisco Amigon, a 19-year-old La Verne man, and Jacob Hunter Elmendorf, 19, also from La Verne.
 
The four men were charged May 31 with three counts of first degree murder with special circumstances, first-degree residential robbery and kidnapping.

The suspects also face three special circumstances of lying in wait and murder during the kidnapping and robbery Hamori-Andrade, whose body was found dumped 30 feet over the side of Highway 39 Wednesday, May 30, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors accuse Balaskas of beating Hamori-Andrade with the metal chair. Martin-Capiendo allegedly further beat Hamori-Andrade with a rock and broke glass pipe once he was taken to the mountainside, deputies said.
 
The brutal killing began May 29 when deputies responding to a home in the 6100 block of Goodway Drive in the unincorporated area near Azusa for a disturbance call discovered a large blood trail leading from the unoccupied home to the street, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
 
A motive for the killing is unknown.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - A man riding a motorcycle sustained unknown injuries after colliding with a truck on San Gabriel Canyon Road near East Fork Road Saturday morning.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - The relative of a man found beaten to death with a mallet was sentenced to 56 years to life in state prison for the 2015 murder.
 
David Xavier Bushman, 47, was sentenced Tuesday after being found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of his uncle-in-law, 73-year-old Arthur George Palmer, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
 
Bushman apparently expected to inherit money from Palmer, who was found dead July 24, 2015. Palmer was likely beat between July 21 and 24, Santiago said.
 
Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s deputies responded to Palmer’s home in the 3000 block of Francis Avenue July 24, 2015 after a concerned neighbor said Palmer had not been seen in three days.
Bushman has a criminal past, which included convictions in 1991, 2003 and 2009 for felonies that include robbery and false imprisonment, Santiago said.
​
The murder weapon was found next to Palmer’s body and contained Bushman’s DNA.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has officially charged the man accused of gunning down another man in Industry.
 
Elias Haro Rodriguez, 25, was charged with one count of murder with the special allegation that he used a firearm, according to Greg Risling of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
 
Rodriguez reportedly donned a hard hat and a mask during the shooting of Juan Carlos Castro Flores, 50. Rodriguez fled the scene after the shooting around 9:35 a.m. The construction site, located in the 14700 block of Nelson Avenue, was very active with workers on scene, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.
 
Rodriguez and Flores, both Perris men, apparently knew each other.
 
Rodriguez is 25 years old, but was previously described by the Sheriff’s Information Bureau as being in his 40s.

Flores died at the scene, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
 
Arraignment was continued to July 25 in Pomona Superior Court.
 
Rodriguez faces a possibility of life in state prison.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - Sheriff’s Homicide detectives arrested the man accused of gunning down another man inside a busy City of Industry construction site.

Elias Haro Rodriguez, a man listed in his 40s, was taken into custody Thursday in the 23000 block of Cajalco Road in Perris around 5 p.m. Rodriguez was identified and followed after he left his home, taken into custody during a traffic stop, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

Rodriguez was booked at the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station, and is being held in lieu of $2 million bail.

Rodriguez is accused of shooting to death 50-year-old Juan Carlos Flores, who was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.

The shooting took place around 9:35 a.m. at a construction site in the 14700 block of Nelson Avenue in the City of Industry June 18.

Rodriguez reportedly disguised in a hard hat and a mask, fled the scene after shooting Flores who died at the scene. Flores was shot multiple times and was specifically targeted by Rodriguez, Homicide detectives said.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

POMONA - Two brothers were convicted of first and second-degree murder of their neighbor from 2015.
 
Flavio Macias, 31, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of Luis Segura. Co-defendant Jonathan Macias, 26, acted as his brother’s lookout and was convicted of second-degree murder, according to Sara Ardalani of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
 
Flavio Macias Jr. attacked Segura, 44, on August 24, 2015. He was beat to death with paving stones and a hammer, according to Deputy District Attorney Michelle Weiske.
 
The beating took place around 7 p.m. in the 13400 block of West Moccasin Street in Bassett, an unincorporated community near La Puente. Deputies found the beaten victim who was later taken to County/USC Medical Center where he eventually died.
 
The brothers barricaded themselves in their home once Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies arrived.
 
The brothers surrendered when deputies fired teargas and released a K9 into the home.
 
Flavio faces the possibility of 53 years to life in state prison. Jonathan faces the possibility of 15 years to life, Ardalani said.
 
Flavio is scheduled to be sentenced at Pomona Superior Court July 5, while Jonathan is scheduled for a September 15 sentencing.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - The victim in a highly-publicized stabbing aboard a Montebello Bus Lines route stabbed April 8 died after a nearly two-month fight for his life.
 
The unnamed victim was stabbed aboard a bus in the 5700 block of Whittier Boulevard around 3:40 p.m. Three days later, Manuel Ortiz, 27, was arrested April 12 and booked in connection to the stabbing. A motive remains unknown, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
 
Ortiz, a Los Angeles County transient, was arrested after being contacted by members of the public.
 
In the wake of the victim’s death, Ortiz’s charges were upgraded to first-degree murder. His bail was set at $2 million.
 
 “It was a savage attack and one that caused us great concern,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell.  “It was seemingly unprovoked, as the suspect walked towards the front of the bus, pulled a knife and stabbed the victim multiple times.”     
 

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - Four days after he died, Sheriff’s homicide detectives announce the victim of a gas station shooting succumbed to his injures.
 
The victim, Jose Arroyo of Compton, was taken off life support and succumbed to his injuries late Friday. Arroyo and a companion were confronted at the Shell gas station, 1130 Peck Rd., June 4 around 1:46 a.m.
 
Arroyo was shot in the back of the head after having what was described by investigators as “a brief conversation with a Hispanic male” while inside the convenience store. Moments later, Arroyo approached the car the Hispanic male as he pumped gas at his vehicle. 
 
A passenger in the suspect vehicle shot Arroyo. The gunman was then driven away by the Hispanic male in a grey hatchback, Homicide detectives said.
 
The weapon has not been recovered.
 
The shooting is likely gang-related.
 
Anyone with information on the suspects is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).