 Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - A preliminary magnitude 7.1 earthquake has rocked SoCal, centered nearly 11 miles north northeast of Ridgecrest, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake hit relatively close to where a magnitude 6.4 quake hit in Inyo County. Dr. Lucy Jones of Caltech said the 6.4 quake from July was a foreshock to today's temblor. "This was a M7.1 on the same fault as has been producing the Searles Valley sequence. This is part of the same sequence," Jones said via social media. SoCal law enforcement and fire agencies are performing critical facilities checks throughout their cities to ensure no damage has occurred. The quake received a preliminary 7.1. magnitude initially and was downgraded to a 6.9 before being upgraded to a 7.1. This story will be updated as information becomes available.  Cameron Scott Lykins, 23, was arrested soon after a bloody murder scene was discovered in Ventura County May 12. The body was found June 23. PHOTO/Venturay County Sheriff's Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - The identity of a partially-decomposed body found deep in the Angeles National Forest was released Thursday as well as that of a suspect in a May 12 killing. The body of Houston Alexander Auer, 22, was found by a patrolling game warden with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife Sunday June 23 in thick brush near Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road and Colby Ranch Road, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. The body was identified as that of Auer, a murder victim of 23-year-old Cameron Scott Lykins. The two lived in the unincorporated community of Meiners Oaks. The murder occurred in the home the two shared in the 1100 block of Meyer Road, Ventura County investigators said. Lykins took Auer’s body after killing him with a sledgehammer, drove it hundreds of miles to the San Gabriel Mountains and disposed of it, Ventura County investigators allege. Lykins, who fled to Lone Pine in Inyo County where he was arrested, refused to tell investigators the location of Auer after he was arrested May 12. “Detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office were alerted to the investigation and worked with the Los Angeles County agencies to identify the victim as Houston Auer,” Ventura County investigators said.
Lykins is jailed at the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility on $2 million bail. His next scheduled court date is July 10.  Timothy Cortinas died in a hot vehicle in West Covina in August of 2018. Courtesy photo. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against a man accused in the death of a dependent adult in 2018. Emanuel Arellano, 25, surrendered to deputies at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station Thursday at 7:30 a.m. Six days prior, the county DA filed charges of involuntary manslaughter and dependent care abuse in the death of 51-year-old Timothy Cortinas. Cortinas was left inside Arrellano’s hot vehicle August 3, 2018 in the 300 block of South Frankfurt Avenue in West Covina. Cortinas, a Walnut resident, was an intellectually-disabled adult being transported with two other passengers. The latter two were dropped off at their locations. Cortinas was somehow forgotten and left to suffer sweltering temperatures in the August sun at Arellano's home.
It was at least two hours before Cortinas was found unresponsive in Arellano’s vehicle. He died at the scene. Last year, Irene Melendez, mother of Cortinas, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Easter Seals (the organization the driver worked for), Holy Family Children’s Care and the San Gabriel/Pomona Regional Center. Arellano posted bond and was released Thursday at 2:21 p.m. He was scheduled for a June 7 court appearance, according to Los Angeles County booking records. Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A San Gabriel man was named Friday less than a day after dying by gunfire during a barricade that shut down a huge section of freeway and cause two homes to burn. Jose Salvador Meza, 35, was identified by Sarah Ardalani of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Meza died as he began exiting a rear door to a burning home in the 2000 block of Brighton Street in San Gabriel Thursday afternoon. Armed with a shotgun, Meza was hit by gunfire and fell at the door where he was eventually declared dead. Meza is accused of firing on San Gabriel Police officers just before 12:30 p.m. June 6 when they arrived to investigate a domestic disturbance call. San Gabriel officers returned fire. Meza barricaded himself and fired his weapon inside the home numerous times during the ordeal. A fire erupted inside one home at the triplex property. Meza fled to a secondary home, pistol in hand, where a second fire broke out.
Authorities shut down both east and west lanes of the I-10 freeway from San Gabriel Boulevard to Del Mar Avenue out of an abundance of caution. Meza continued to flee around the property as residents were evacuated, firefighters worked to battle the fires and deputies worked to get Meza to surrender. During the barricade, Meza allegedly ignited fireworks which were caught on live news as the exploded. Some launched in the air. Meza armed himself with two handguns before fleeing into one of the burning homes where he found a shotgun. Homicide investigators have not yet stated if Meza died by deputy gunfire, or if the injuries were self-inflicted. Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA HABRA - Detectives from La Habra Police and the Sheriff’s Industry Station are investigating three suspects accused of being involved in a Hacienda Heights home invasion robbery Tuesday. After Industry detectives identified a stolen vehicle they believe was used in the home invasion robbery, they learned La Habra officers had the vehicle and were searching for the suspects, according to Lt. James Long of the Sheriff’s Industry Station. La Habra officers found a stolen gold 2008 Acura at a Chevron ExtraMile, 110 S. Harbor Blvd., before Noon. It is believed to be the same car seen fleeing the area of the home invasion, according to Sgt. Jose Rocha of the La Habra Police Department. Three suspects fled the Acura when La Habra officers attempted to contact them, setting off a containment search, Rocha said.
Two 17-year-olds and an 18-year-old were found and taken into custody without further incident, Rocha said. There was property inside the Acura that detectives are working to link to the Hacienda Heights home invasion, Rocha said. The home invasion occurred around 10:30 a.m. in the 16000 block of Santa Bianca Drive Tuesday. Three suspects, one of them reported armed, entered a window and took $300 in cash, according to Sgt. David Cortinas of the Sheriff’s Industry Station. Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  Google Maps. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - A loaded shotgun was discovered during a search in the San Gabriel Mountains Sunday evening after a caller reported hearing gunfire, a Sheriff’s lieutenant said. One juvenile and four adults were detained far up in the mountains as deputies investigated the gunfire claim. Deputies found the shotgun and a construction vehicle damaged by gunfire, according to Lt. Elisabeth Sachs of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station. Deputies responded to a call of numerous shots heard along Highway 39 near mile marker 26.5 at 6:15 p.m. June 2.
Deputies combed the forest area after the detainees denied shooting anything and found the weapon 100 yards away. “They found a loaded shotgun, 12 gauge,” Sachs said. “They also found an excavator and all the windows were shot out of it.” One of the suspects confessed to firing the shotgun and damaging the excavator. He was arrested and booked on suspicion of carrying a loaded firearm and vandalism, Sachs said. The suspect's name was not available. Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor SAN BERNARDINO - A name has not been released for the 57-year-old Pasadena man killed after falling into the path of a moving big rig on the 210 freeway Wednesday. The man was walking in the center divider of the east 210 freeway towards Highland Avenue around 11:26 a.m. He lost balance and fell backwards into the No. 1 lane and between the left rear tires of a 2014 Freightliner tractor trailer, according to the California Highway Patrol San Bernardino Office.
The pedestrian died at the scene. Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  PHOTOS/Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the baby girl found dead, strapped to a carseat behind a Bellflower funeral home belongs to a missing NorCal man. Homicide detectives believe the baby, 8-month-old Alexia Rose Echeverria, died in Sacramento and because of that, the investigation is in the hands of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department. Authorities continue to search for the missing father, 30-year-old Alexander Echeverria who was sought, along with his daughter, as a missing person. He was last seen May 24 at 10:30 p.m. in Bellflower along with Alexia.
Echeverria is driving a grey 2014 Volkswagen Jetta with California license plate 7FFT866. Echeverria is 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 160 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. Echeverria suffers from depression, authorities said. Anyone with information on Echeverria’s whereabouts is urged to call the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department at 916-874-5021. Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor BELLFLOWER - An infant girl was found dead behind a business Monday. The infant girl was found in the 10300 block of Alondra Boulevard just before 10:40 a.m., according to Deputy Kim Alexander of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau. The infant was found behind a funeral home, according to media reports from the scene.
Homicide detectives have not yet stated if the infant appeared to have obvious signs of trauma. Anyone with information is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A suspect accused of committing 24 robberies across SoCal pleaded guilty to one felony county of second-degree robbery Thursday. Michael Anthony Tapia, 52, also admitted to allegations of two prior felony convictions. He was immediately sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison, according to Paul Eakins of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Tapia committed the 24 robberies over a seven-month period from June 2017 to January 2018.
The felony complaint only regarding crimes committed within Los Angeles County. Tapia was accused of a total of 40 cell phone store robberies across SoCal, including cities in Orange County and San Bernardino County. Tapia was convicted of second-degree robbery in 1998 and attempted second-degree robbery in 2001. “Under the terms of a negotiated plea agreement, the defendant waived all credit for time already served in jail and is required to pay restitution to all of the victims named in the case,” Eakins said in a written statement. The West Covina Police Department investigated Tapia, along with surrounding police agencies. |
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