Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

REGION - Residents of Wrightwood and Pinion Hills are under evacuation orders as the unrelenting Bridge Fire continues to consume the San Gabriel Mountains and beyond.

Wrightwood residents were ordered to evacuate earlier this evening, including residents of Lone Pine Canyon from Wrightwood to Highway 138 and Lone Pine Canyon Road south to the forest, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Pinion Hills from Wrightwood north to Highway 18 and Beekley Road west to Los Angeles County are also under mandatory evacuation.

Highway 138 is closed from Lone Pine to Beekley Road due to evacuations. Highway 2 is closed from Big Pine to Highway 138, according to Caltrans.

At 7:30 p.m., the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation warning for the communities of San Antonio Heights and Upland from the Foothills down to the 23rd Street.

Specific areas of the cities of San Dimas, La Verne and Claremont are now under evacuation warnings:

San Dimas
(E-003-A): North of Sycamore Flats Motorway, south of Johnstone Peak Truck Trail, east of Blue Bird Road, west of Lodi Lateral Mtwy, North San Dimas Canyon Road

La Verne
(LVN-E001): North of Golden Hills Road, south of San Dimas Canyon Road, east of Charmont Road, west of Sunset Ridge Truck Trail.
(LVN-E002): North of Golden Hills Road, Vista De Oro, south of Sunset Peak Motorway , East of Sunset Peak Motorway, west of Stephens Ranch Road, Sunset Peak Motorway.

Claremont
(CLA-E003): north of Pomello Motorway, south of Cobal Canyon Motorway, Sunset Ridge Fire Road, Palmer Evie Motorway, west of Villa Padova, West Fork Palmer Motorway.
(CLA-E-006-A): North of Mount Baldy Road, south of Potato Mountain, east of West Fork Palmer Motorway, west of Mt. Baldy Road.

Video from KTLA 5 news showed insatiable flames destroying structures at Mountain High Resort. Video from KNBC 4 news showed what appeared to be a home well involved with fire at Mt. Baldy Village.

The Bridge Fire, which ignited Sunday, September 8, has consumed 34,240 acres and remains without containment, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

After finding some solace with a little overnight activity on September 9, fire crews had to deal with the mind-boggling exponential growth of the fire throughout Tuesday.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

REGION - An evacuation order has been made for all residents of Mount Baldy Village from the San Antonio Dam to Baldy Resort, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office.

Evacuees are advised to avoid using Glendora Ridge Road as an evacuation route. Mt. Baldy Road should be used as the escape route, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

​The bridge fire has burned an estimated 2995 acres, my according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The bridge fire is roughly 3 miles from the northernmost boundary with the city of La Verne, however, the fire does not pose a threat to the city, according to Chris Nigg, La Verne Fire Department Chief.

In the event that the Bridge Fire enters the boundaries of San Dimas orLa Verne, city officials highly recommend that residents have an evacuation plan and have all essential items ready to go if the order is given to leave.

Near the origin of the fire, residents of Camp Williams and River Community were previously given mandatory evacuation orders. An American Red Cross evacuation center for these residents has been established at the Hacienda Heights Community Center, 1234 Valencia Avenue.

​Evacuees from Mt. Baldy Village can go to the Jessie Turner Health and Fitness Center, 15556 Summit Ave., in Fontana.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

REGION - A man has apparently been missing for four days after last being seen in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Alexander Fernando Archila, 48, was last seen around 3 p.m. July 14. Investigators did not describe exactly where in the mountains Archila was last seen.

Archila stands 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighs 170 pounds, has black hair and green eyes. He was last seen wearing a purple shirt, blue jeans, black shoes, and a green cap.

Anyone with information on Archila’s whereabouts is urged to call Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Homicide Bureau Missing Persons Detail, Detective M. Perez at 323-890-5500. Remain anonymous by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - Surveillance footage once again helped identify the man accused of gunning down three homeless people in Los Angeles late last month.

The suspect was already in custody, accused of murdering a San Dimas man after following him home from West Covina.

Jerrid Joseph Powell, 33, was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department Saturday.

The three murders of homeless men occurred from November 26 to November 29. The same vehicle was seen at all three murder scenes, investigators said.

Ballistics examination determined the gun seized after Powell was arrested in Beverly Hills was used in the homeless murders, according to an LAPD written statement.

The first LA murder occurred around 3 a.m. November 26 in the 800 block of West 110th Street. The next murder occurred around 5 a.m. November 27 in the 800 block of East Seventh Street. The third happened around 2:30 p.m. November 29 at South Avenue 18 and South Pasadena Avenue.

All victims in the LA murder were sleeping either on a public sidewalk or in an alleyway.

Powell will remain in custody pending the filing of charges.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

REGION - Plenty of activities and delicious goodies will be available all day during during a free event that promotes active transportation.

626 Golden Streets comes to the San Gabriel Valley Sunday, April 23. The event stretches six and one half miles along portions of Bonita Avenue, Fulton Road and Arrow Highway to Claremont. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The people-centric event promotes active transportation: walking, biking, jogging, running, strolling … you name it. Other activities and chances to support local businesses will be available along the route.

The event will require the temporary closure of roadways and no vehicle traffic will be allowed.

The first 50 attendees will receive a free limited edition t-shirt and raffle tickets.

Join the Heart of the Foothills opening ceremony at Palomares Park in Pomona, 499 E. Arrow Hwy., from 8:15 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Parking restrictions will go into effect along the route beginning at Midnight prior to the event. Road closures are scheduled to start at 5 a.m. and full closures will be made by 7 a.m.

A partial reopening of the route will begin by 4 p.m. with most sections reopening by 5 p.m.

Visit the 626 Golden Streets website for frequently asked questions.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

REGION - Beginning this afternoon, continuing work on the L Line Foothill Extension will sporadically impact traffic, authorities said.

A rail delivery train will deliver 1600-foot segments of rail sticks at various points along the L Line route from Glendora to Pomona, according to the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority.

The deliveries are expected to take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and are scheduled to last through Saturday, August 28.

At-grade crossings will be affected multiple times. Crossing gates will be functional and may impact traffic for up to five minutes at a time while rail sticks are off-loaded, the construction authority said.

In August, the construction authority announced the$1.5 billion, 9.1-mile project to Pomona was 36 percent complete. Construction on this segment from Glendora to Pomona began July 2020.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - Investigators are searching for a woman missing since November 2018.

Lindsey Kathleen Sprague, 36, was last seen in San Bernardino County. She was identified as a San Dimas resident, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

Sprague stands 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighs 160 pounds, has blond or brown hair and hazel eyes. She also has a tattoo of a shooting star on her right shoulder blade and a tattoo of the Roman numeral 12 on her left forearm.

Anyone with the information on the whereabouts of Sprague is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - A man prosecutors accused of funneling hundreds of thousands in Covid-19 jobless benefits to foreign nationals pleaded guilty Thursday.

Bonifacio Jastilana Marinas, 50, pleaded guilty to a single-count criminal information charging him with mail fraud, according to the US Attorney’s Office.

In his plea deal, Marinas admitted that his actions Cost the Unemployment Development Department and the United States Treasury $516,244.

Marinas filed paperwork in the names of foreign nationals he falsely claimed were real estate agents hit hard by the pandemic.

“According to his plea agreement, from April 2020 to August 2020, Marinas took advantage of provisions in the CARES Act to file approximately 85 unemployment insurance claims with the California Employment Development Department (EDD) that falsely asserted that the named claimants were self-employed real estate agents in Los Angeles County whose jobs had been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the US Attorney’s Office said in a written statement.

Marinas listed his realty business, West Covina-based Vintage Realty & Finance, Inc., as the workplace of the alleged EDD claimants and his home as the claimants’ addresses, but the funds were funneled to residents of Saipan and the Philippines, the US Attorney’s Office said.

The claimants were not registered as real estate agents in Los Angeles County, had no employment history in California and were not eligible for the benefits Marinas claimed, the US District Attorney’s Office said.

As a result, the debit cards used to distribute the unemployment benefits were mailed to Marinas, who then used them to withdraw the fraudulently obtained funds, the US Attorney’s Office said.

Marinas is scheduled for a sentencing June 24 in U.S. District Court and faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA - The California Highway Patrol arrested a driver September 7 after he allegedly led Claremont Police and CHP officers on a chase throughout the San Gabriel Valley.

Claremont officers initially pursued Anthony Orlando Franco, 33, who was driving in a stolen vehicle. The CHP was notified of the chase as it was west on the I-10 freeway west of Indian Hill Boulevard, according to Officer Rodrigo Jimenez of the California Highway Patrol Baldwin Park Office.

CHP officers took over the pursuit of a black 2017 Kia Soul on the west 210 freeway at Grand Avenue, Jimenez told SGV CityWatch.

The chase took to surface streets through Glendora, Covina, Irwindale, Pomona, La Verne, Claremont, Baldwin Park and West Covina. He also allegedly fled in opposing lanes of traffic, Jimenez told SGV CityWatch.

The suspect also traversed the I-10, 210, 57, 71 and 605 freeways.

The pursuit briefly reentered the 210 freeway eastbound from Sunflower Avenue in Glendora. The CHP attempted to disable the Kia Soul with the Pursuit Intervention Technique, but the vehicle kept moving and exited onto southbound San Dimas Avenue in San Dimas.

While westbound in the area of Walnut Avenue and Arrow Highway, the driver reportedly struck the front of a CHP officer’s patrol vehicle, Jimenez told SGV CityWatch.

The CHP canceled the chase due to the driver’s reckless nature.

Claremont officers located the suspect and continued the pursuit into Pomona where the suspect abandoned the Soul and fled on foot at the American Inn & Suites, 310 E. Foothill Blvd. The Kia rolled and crashed into two parked vehicles, Jimenez told SGV CityWatch.

Franco was caught shortly after running and was medically cleared before being booked at the Inmate Reception Center on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, assaulting a peace officer, felony evading an officer, being in possession of a stolen vehicle and driving under the influence of drugs, Jimenez told SGV CityWatch.

Franco was additionally booked for warrants related to felony evading and parole violations.

REGION - Two men charged with capital murder in the stabbing death of a West Covina man pleaded not guilty Thursday.

La Verne man Elijah Thomas Rouse, 18, and 37-year-old Shaun Cardarelli, of San Gabriel, are of accused of killing John Aguila during the commission of a robbery. The murder charge includes that both men used a knife during the commission of a crime, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Both suspects are also accused of conspiracy to commit arson.