Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SOUTH EL MONTE - A carjacking suspect was subdued after attempting to take a driver’s vehicle Sunday morning, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective said.

The scene unfolded on Parkway Street west of Rush Street just before 9:30 a.m. January 23. An SGV CityWatch reader caught the scene on camera as he was driving by. The reported victim physically restrained the suspect and was seen punching the him in the head repeatedly.

The reader asked that his name not be used.

​The victim was in the vehicle when the suspect attempted to take it, according to Detective Stephen Cabrera of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Temple Station.

The intended victim punched the carjacking suspect in the head enough to cause bleeding.

The Sheriff’s Temple Station was called to the scene by firefighters who had responded to a report of a man down.

The victim was reportedly not injured, Cabrera told SGV CityWatch.

The suspect, 31-year-old Gabriel Taylor, was taken into custody, Cabrera told SGV CityWatch.

Taylor was transferred to the Inmate Reception Center in Los Angeles the following morning. He is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail ahead of a scheduled appearance in Rio Hondo Municipal Court January 25, according to Los Angeles County booking records.

SOUTH EL MONTE – A woman in her 30s was arrested, accused of intentionally striking a man, killing him with a vehicle and wounding a deputy Wednesday night.

The wild scene unfolded in the 9600 block of Garvey Avenue around 11:15 p.m. January 19. Deputies on patrol witnessed an altercation between the woman and a man in his mid-50s, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

After the man was detained, the woman entered a vehicle and drove through a parking lot, conducted a u-turn and accelerated towards the man and deputies, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“The suspect vehicle collided with a patrol vehicle and then struck one deputy sheriff and the male Hispanic adult that was being detained. The suspect vehicle then fled the location and deputies went into pursuit of the suspect,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in a written statement.

The man was declared dead at the scene.

The woman was arrested after her vehicle became disabled.

The deputy that was hit was treated at a hospital and released for injuries considered not life-threatening.

The woman has not been identified.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SOUTH EL MONTE - No one was injured in a fire that destroyed a one-story commercial building near a famed military museum Thursday night.

Firefighters arrived to investigate a reported fire at the building at 9420 Rush St. at 9:34 p.m. and ended up battling a 2-alarm fire until 10:45 p.m., according to Cpt. Norman Queen of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

“It’s unknown what the products of combustion were,” Queen told SGV CityWatch. He added that investigators were sent to the scene.

Initially, local broadcast news stations reported the museum itself burned, but the fire affected the building next to the museum.

Members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Arson/Explosives Detail responded as part of a routine procedure, according to Lt. Meza of the Sheriff’s Temple Station.

Meza reported an estimated loss of close to $1 million.

The American Military Museum, 1918 Rosemead Blvd., boasts itself as a non-profit military history museum. Opened since 1962, the museum features more than 170 military vehicles and exhibits dating back as far as 1933.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SOUTH EL MONTE - A man died after being hospitalized, the victim of an early-morning shooting.

The shooting occurred in the 2600 block of Gage Avenue December 27 around 12:50 a.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

It is not publicly clear yet if the man died outside or inside a residence. The motive of the shooting was also unclear.

Anyone with information on this 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 P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SOUTH EL MONTE - Deputies are investigating after a man wielding a knife reportedly forced a woman into some brush to sexually assault her near the Whittier Narrows Golf Course.

The woman was walking the Rio Hondo River Trail south of Rush Street around 9:20 a.m. The suspect was on a bicycle, saw the woman, circled around and approached her from behind. The woman seemingly tried to ignore the man who then touched her and forced her into some nearby bushes at knife point, according to Lt., Vienna of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Temple Station.

The suspect fled westbound through some bushes after the assault, Vienna told SGV CityWatch.

Temple Station deputies were assisted by deputies from the Sheriff’s Park Bureau and a helicopter in searching for the suspect, but he has yet to be found.

Deputies searched homeless encampments in the riverbed and nearby areas, according to Sheriff’s radio traffic.

The suspect was described as a 35-year-old Hispanic man with a thin build, a thick mustache, faded black jeans and a crooked upper tooth.

Anyone with information on this assault is urged to call the Sheriff’s Temple Station at 626-285-7171.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SOUTH EL MONTE - A person was found dead Sunday night, the apparent victim of a hanging at the 60 freeway and Peck Road.

The victim’s body was found on the eastbound side of the 60 freeway just after 9:30 p.m. July 26, according to the California Highway Patrol.

CHP officers and Sheriff’s deputies originally responded to the location for a reported person preparing to jump.

The CHP shut down all eastbound lanes of the 60 freeway at Peck Road at 9:35 p.m. Two minutes later, traffic lanes were open after the victim was found dead, according to the CHP.

Los Angeles County firefighters worked to recover the body from the overpass.

No identity was available yet for the victim.

SOUTH EL MONTE - A brush fire is being extinguished near the Whittier Narrows Recreational Area, firefighters report Sunday.

The fire has scorched one-half acre of Whittier Narrows near Durfee Avenue and Santa Anita Avenue. Most other fire units en route have been canceled, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The fire is roughly 70 percent contained.

Firefighters already on scene will remain to work the fire.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SOUTH EL MONTE - A tree fire near the right shoulder of the eastbound 60 freeway briefly closed a traffic lane in the 60 freeway Wednesday.

Flames were visible on the eastbound side of the 60 freeway at Peck Road just before 4 a.m. April 15, According to the California Highway Patrol.

Los Angeles County fire fighters requested The No. 4 lane and right shoulder be blocked by the CHP while they extinguish the flames. A 45-minute Sig Alert was issued for the No. 5 lane at 4:23 a.m., the CHP said.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
​CityWatch Editor

SOUTH EL MONTE - The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department scheduled a DUI/driver license checkpoint to begin Friday, July 12 at 6 p.m.

The checkpoint, to be held at an undisclosed location, will last until 2 a.m. Saturday, July 13. DUI checkpoint locations are based on collision statistics and the frequency of DUI arrests, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Funding for this checkpoint is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.