 Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - A father and his young boys who spent the night in the San Gabriel Mountains after failing to return from a hike were found safe and unharmed Sunday morning.
The three hikers were found in the area of Allison Mine, several miles off a nearby trail. The three were located around 9:20 a.m. Sunday, were hoisted out by a Los Angeles county sheriffs helicopter and were taken to a command post where they have since been reunited with their family, according to Lieutenant Ed Mackenzie of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station. The father and his 12 and 13-year-old sons required no medical attention, McKenzie said. Allison Mine was apparently the hikers’ intended destination. Mackenzie was unclear of the exact circumstances of how the hikers were found and what they did to stave off the cold. Industry Sheriff’s Station deputies were called by a family member around 11 p.m. Saturday, November 23, when the father and his children failed to return from a hike. Search and rescue teams began looking for the hikers Saturday night but the severe lack of light prevented them from being found. A Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter arrived to the scene just after first light to help with a search.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - The search continues Sunday morning for a missing father and his 12-and-13-year-old sons who failed to return from a day hike in the mountains above Azusa and the Glendora.
About 12 members of the San Dimas Mountain Rescue Team are being joined by the Montrose Search and Rescue Team and Santa Clarita Valley Search and Rescue Team area in hopes of finding the father and his children according to Lt. Ed Mackenzie of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station. Industry Sheriff’s Station deputies were called by a family member around 11 p.m. Saturday, November 23, when the father and his children failed to return from a hike. The father’s vehicle was found parked in the East Fork area of the San Gabriel Mountains. Searchers are concentrating in the Heaton Flats area by the Bridge to Nowhere, Mackenzie told SGV CityWatch. “It’s supposed to be a day hike. Apparently the father is an experienced hiker and is familiar with the area, according to family members,” Mackenzie said. In addition to the cold, searchers are wading through very thick, overgrown brush and rugged terrain, Mackenzie said. A Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter assistant early Sunday with a search at first light, but has since departed to refuel, according to Sheriff’s radio traffic. The Father and His Sons Were Missing Since Saturday. CLICK TO READ MORE  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor UPDATE: The Fire, dubbed the Burro Fire, is holding steady at six acres burned and is 30 percent contained, the U.S. Forest Service said.
The fire was caused by a traffic collision that sent two people to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. MOUNTAINS - A brush fire burning in the San Gabriel Mountains is holding at five to seven acres, a battalion chief said Tuesday morning. The fire is burning near Highway 39 and Coldbrook Campground. Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station are en route to conduct evacuations of people in the area, according to Sheriff’s radio traffic. Los Angeles County Firefighters are working with U.S. Forest Service firefighters to extinguish the flames. County firefighters have a full brush assignment assigned, which includes up to three helicopters.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - A man enjoying a hike Wednesday evening ran for his life after encountering an estimated 400-pound bear. The hiker encountered the bear about one half mile from the top of Wheeler Avenue along a fire access road that leads to Sunset Peak June 19. The bear reportedly chased the hiker, who fled into some bushes down a hillside. The hiker had a cellphone signal and was able to call 9-1-1, according to Sgt. Matt Bodell of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station. Deputies were called around 6:30 p.m., Bodell said.
The man is a regular on the trails in the area and this is the first encounter he can recall, Bodell said. “The terrain up there is very hilly. He said when he lost sight of the bear, that’s when he left the roadway,” Bodell said. “He went into the bushes and waited it out.” The hiker was uninjured. 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 LOS ANGELES - Officials have publicly identified the man killed in a likely gang shooting near Azusa. Azusa resident Oscar Carmona, 22, was identified by Lt. Larry Dietz of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. San Dimas deputies were initially called to an injured victim in the 18000 block of Newburgh Street June 1 around 11:15 p.m. Carmona, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, died at the scene, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
There is no suspect description and the murder weapon is outstanding. 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 L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  PHOTO/Sonoma County Sheriff's Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor SAN DIMAS - Nearly four years after a fast food restaurant owner was gunned down outside his own business, the suspect accused of pulling the trigger has entered a plea. Sergey Gutsu, 26, pleaded not guilty May 9 to one count of murder with a special circumstance allegation that the crime was committed during a robbery, according to Paul Eakins of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Gutsu also faces one count of second-degree robbery and two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, which are all felonies. The charges include firearm allegations, Eakins said. The murder charge coupled with the special circumstance allegation makes Gutsu eligible for the death penalty, Eakins said. Pravin Patel, the 62-year-old owner of the San Dimas Quiznos shop, was shot in an altercation with an armed robbery suspect around 3:20 p.m. June 2, 2015. The suspect fled on foot from the now-defunct Quiznos, 1034 W. Arrow Hwy. Before being shot, Patel gave up an undisclosed amount of cash to the suspect who also threatened patrons at the restaurant. As the suspect exited, Patel followed him and struggled over the cash. Patel died at a hospital that day. Gutsu was already incarcerated, serving 51 years to life in prison after pleading no contest in December 2017 to armed robbery and attempted murder of a Calistoga police officer. Gutsu allegedly implicated himself nearly three years ago in the Quiznos murder while being questioned by authorities for an armored truck robbery, shooting and wild pursuit in July 2016. Gutsu and an accomplice, 24-year-old Ivan Morales, are accused of firing upon an armored truck at a Chase Bank in the City of Windsor July 12, 2016. Gutsu and Morales drove up to the armored truck in a carjacked van, confronted the guards and started shooting, authorities said. One guard was hit by gunfire while Gutsu and Morales fled into another vehicle, taking $30,000 with them.
An officer with the Calistoga Police Department located the suspects. A pursuit began, during which the pursuing officer was fired upon. The officer being fired at by Gutsu rammed him with the patrol car. Gutsu was hospitalized and later jailed. Morales briefly eluded police, initiating a manhunt in Calistoga. Gutsu and Morales are also accused of an armored truck robbery in Granada Hills March 29, 2016, authorities said. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detectives arrived at Santa Rosa July 13, 2016 to interview Gutsu who then confessed to being involved in Patel’s murder, according to information provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau. Bail for Gutsu in the Quiznos murder case has been denied. If convicted as charged, Gutsu faces the possibility of life in prison without parole or the death sentence. Prosecutors may still seek the death penalty at a later date, Eakins said. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 12 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - Deputies and Azusa Police officers detained three men after a call of a kidnapping turned out to be a music video shoot, a Sheriff’s lieutenant said. Deputies responded to a call of a possible kidnapping on San Gabriel Canyon Road near mile marker 21.59 at 11:22 a.m. March 13. The caller drove past the scene and reported a vehicle backed into a turnout. Two men were standing near an apparent victim with his hands duct-taped together, said Lt. Mark Skaggs of the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station. A police helicopter was first on scene as the suspect vehicle went into motion north on San Gabriel Canyon Road. Azusa Police were closer to the scene and responded to stop the vehicle first, Skaggs said.
All three men were detained and they explained what was occurring. One man was arrested. A concealed handgun was found inside the vehicle, a misdemeanor offense, Skaggs said.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - A vicim of vehicle theft is uninjured after a man she met in Azusa Wednesday attacked her and took her vehicle, a Sheriff’s lieutenant said. The victim met the man in Azusa through social media. The woman drove to the man in, where he then got behind the wheel and took both of them to Highway 39 at mile marker 26.91. During a hike along the river, the suspect attacked her and took her car, said Lt. Mark Skaggs of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station. The woman called for help around 3:30 p.m. February 6.
The two met at San Gabriel Canyon Road and Mirador Drive in Azusa, Skaggs said. “They went for a walk down by the river and he shoved her into the water and then ran back up and stole the car,” Skaggs said. “She was able to flag down somebody who gave her a ride back down the hill where she was able to call us,” Skaggs said. Stolen was a black 2011 Toyota Prius. The suspect is still outstanding, Skaggs said.  Friends and family of a man killed by gunfire stand behind police tape at the scene of the shooting in San Dimas Sunday, December 23. PHOTO/By Aaron Castrejon. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The 35-year-old man killed near a San Dimas park was identified Tuesday.
Michael Moreno was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Moreno was found with another man badly wounded after being struck by gunfire in the 200 block of South Acacia Street around 6:20 p.m. December 23. Moreno was declared dead at the scene. Moreno's body was discovered in the street near a truck. The second man was found suffering at least three gunshot wounds. He was taken to a nearby trauma center for treatment. His condition has not been disclosed. Moreno and the other man were found injured outside of a truck on the east side of Acacia Street near Pioneer Park. The relationship between the two men, as well as a motive for the shooting, remains unknown or undisclosed. A shooting occurred in an alley in the 300 block of West 1st Street Wednesday, December 18. A man taking out the trash was fired upon by at least one man inside a dark-colored 2011 to 2014 Toyota Corolla. |
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