Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SOUTH PASADENA - A 27-year-veteran of the South Pasadena Police Department was hospitalized with moderate injuries after colliding with a civilian vehicle on Monterey Road April 4.

The crash occurred in the 300 block of Monterey Road Tuesday. A vehicle was exiting the driveway of an apartment complex and the unidentified motor officer struck the vehicle. He was ejected from his motorcycle and landed in opposing lanes of traffic, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

The driver of the other vehicle said they did not see the officer approaching, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

Monterey Road between Indiana Avenue and Pasadena Avenue were closed for several hours during an investigation.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call the South Pasadena Police Department at 626-403-7270.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SOUTH PASADENA - A 16-year-old male was among three suspected catalytic converter thieves who received serious injuries after a horrific crash while escaping South Pasadena Police officers Thursday morning.

A patrol officer spotted a Lexus sedan with headlights off and no rear license plate suspiciously parked near a Toyota Prius in the 1600 block of Fremont Avenue Thursday, March 2. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle which fled south on Fremont, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

The vehicle was first spotted around 3:13 a.m.

The suspect driver reached speeds of 70 miles per hour while running multiple red lights. Officers decided to cancel the pursuit due to the suspect’s unsafe driving at Fremont Avenue and Alhambra Road, according to the south Pasadena Police Department.

In Alhambra, a patrol officer heard a loud crash, near Fremont Avenue and Orange Street and searched for the source, eventually finding the previously-pursued Lexus involved in a solo rollover crash near Fremont Avenue and Concord Avenue, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

The suspects were identified as Cudahy resident Elmer Contreras Robinson, 28, Alberto Avitia, 25, from Huntington Park, and a 16-year-old male from Los Angeles.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SOUTH PASADENA - A 69-year-old man was found dead in a home Friday night.

Police officers and paramedics attempted to save the man, but he passed away at the scene in the 1600 block of South Meridian Avenue December 16. First responders were called at 7:51 p.m., according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

“During the investigation, several items of evidentiary value were located. Given the nature and scope of the investigation, the South Pasadena Police Department is working in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department,” according to the South Pasadena Police Department in a written statement.

In that same statement, the South Pasadena Police Department described the unconscious male suffering from “medical distress,” but did not elaborate further.

This reporter heard the response to the home on South Meridian and heard that the victim suffered a large laceration to his head.

It is not yet publicly clear what led to the man’s death.

SOUTH PASADENA – A man died and two women were wounded after police believe a truck ran a stop sign and slammed into them in an intersection.

The collision happened July 27 at Marengo Avenue and Maple Street just before 8:30 p.m. The driver of the white Toyota Sienna truck was north on Marengo when he allegedly ran the stop sign and hit the pedestrians, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

The three pedestrians were taken to a hospital where the still-unidentified man was eventually pronounced dead.

The driver of the Toyota Sienna remained at the scene.

“At this time, it remains unknown if alcohol or drugs were a factor in the collision,” according to the South Pasadena Police Department in a written statement.

Anyone with information about this crash is urged to call South Pasadena Police Officer Jeff Holland at 626-403-7270.

SOUTH PASADENA – Investigators determined a threatening email sent to several city employees was likely used as a scare tactic.

The sender claimed to be a South Pasadena resident, a violent criminal and threatened harm to his probation officer and others. It is believed the email was generated outside the country, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

The South Pasadena Senior Center, 1102 Oxley St., Orange Grove Park, 815 S. Mission St., and South Pasadena Library, 100 Oxley St., were all temporarily locked down as a precaution.

“It has come to the Police Department’s attention that several rumors are circulating that an armed individual was at one of the City facilities. This is not the case, and that rumor is false,” according to the South Pasadena Police Department in a written statement.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call the South Pasadena Police Department at 626-403-7297.

SOUTH PASADENA – Two Los Angeles men were jailed April 12 after police allegedly caught them with a stolen catalytic converter.

Jorge Alberto Rodriguez, 40, and passenger Manuel Mozcoza, 37, were booked on suspicion of grand theft and possession of burglary tools.

Police were called to the 1700 block of Grevelia Street around 2:06 a.m. to a catalytic converter theft in progress. The suspects fled in a dark-colored sedan, but officers found and stopped the driver, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

Rodriguez and Mozcoza were stopped in the 600 block of Park Street where officers found a stolen catalytic converter and “items of evidentiary value consistent with those who steal catalytic converters,” according to the Covina Police Department in a written statement.

SOUTH PASADENA – A Pasadena man ran, but was quickly caught after allegedly burglarizing a business. January 26.

Joshua Domasin, 38, is accused of breaking into a business in the 1300 block of Huntington Drive. Officers were called to the scene around 3:43 a.m. and found a suspect inside, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

“Domasin fled out of the building upon seeing the officers and was captured moments later. Additional officers and a canine from the San Marino and Monterey Park Police Departments assisted during the search,” according to the Pasadena Police Department in a written statement.

Domasin was booked on suspicion of commercial burglary. He was issued a citation and released and is expected to appear at Alhambra Municipal Court May 26.

After being arrested, Domasin was arrested by Los Angeles Police Officers from the North Hollywood Division January 29 for a felony-level crime. He is being held without bail.

SOUTH PASADENA – A DUI/driver license checkpoint is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Friday, December 17, the South Pasadena Police Department announced.

The checkpoint, which will last until Saturday, December 18 at 2 a.m., will take place at an undisclosed location. Checkpoint locations are determined on DUI crash and arrest statistics, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

“The primary purpose of checkpoints is not to make arrests, but to promote public safety by deterring drivers from driving impaired,” according to the South Pasadena Police Department in a written statement.

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

SOUTH PASADENA – A suspicious vehicle led to two arrests December 4 after officers found drugs and evidence of catalytic converter thefts.

Officers conducting a burglary suppression operation saw a suspicious vehicle in the 800 block of Meridian Avenue just after 6 a.m. Two occupants were contacted by officers and as one of the men exited the vehicle, an item of “evidentiary value” fell to the ground, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

What that item was, police have not described.

After further investigation, officers located narcotics and tools commonly used in catalytic converter thefts, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

Los Angeles men Marcelo Ramirez, 30, and Victor Trujillo-Cruz, 28, were booked on suspicion of possession of burglary tools and possession of narcotics.

SOUTH PASADENA – Police de-escalated a tense situation December 3 after a woman was found waving knives at drivers at an intersection.

A resident called police to Mission Street and Orange Grove Avenue around 10:52 p.m. Friday. Officers arrived and saw a woman wielding large kitchen knives in both hands, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

“Officers quickly identified the female as having a mental health crisis and began using verbal de- escalation techniques. After a lengthy discussion, the officers calmed the woman, convincing her to drop the knives,” according to the South Pasadena Police Department in a written statement.

The woman was hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation.

“The officers used the utmost restraint in this incident, preventing a use of force,” according to South Pasadena Police Chief Brian Solinsky in a written statement. “There is no guarantee in situations like this; however, officers train regularly in de- escalation and identifying those experiencing a mental health crisis. This is a prime example of why law enforcement cannot be removed entirely from the equation when responding to a mental health crisis,” Solinsky said.