Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

VINCENT - Law enforcement determined there was never a credible threat against students of a Covina-Valley Unified School Wednesday after being made aware of a social media threat Tuesday night.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station informed district officials of “an individual’s social media post regarding a non-specific online threat” to Manzanita Elementary School, according to an email obtained by SGV CityWatch.

The school is located at 4131 N. Nora Ave. in the unincorporated area of Vincent.

San Dimas deputies performed patrols of the campus during the morning drop-off.

This reporter headed to the school in the Noon hour and observed deputies continuing their patrols to the front and rear of the campus.

What the social media threat stated has not been publicly shared.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

VINCENT - Deputies are investigating what led to a stabbing and shooting at a home near Azusa Sunday night.

Two people were wounded by gunfire, one person was stabbed, and another person received minor injuries. The patients were taken to two different hospitals for treatment, according to Yvette Llacuna, dispatch supervisor with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The shooting took place on Banewell Avenue north of East Renwick Road just before 10 pm.f

The motive for the shooting was not publicly known. In a 12:30 a.m. interview with Sgt. Nafissi of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station, deputies were still trying to figure out what led to the shooting, but witnesses were not willing to talk.

A CityWatch reader reported that a Halloween party may have been taking place at the home when the attacks occurred. People appeared to be wearing costumes as they exited the home.

The suspect description initially given to responding deputies was a Latino man in a ski mask. He wore a black shirt over black shorts.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

VINCENT - A woman between 20 and 30 years old allegedly armed with a large metal object is considered stable, but in critical condition after being shot by a deputy Saturday morning.

The woman was seen by multiple witnesses as she swung the metal object, described as a large pipe wrench, at passing motorists and vandalized vehicles in the area of North Vincent Avenue and East Cypress Street around at 10 a.m. November 26.

A deputy, called to the scene, saw the woman walking in the middle of the street armed with the pipe.

“As the female approached the patrol unit, she shattered the rear window of the vehicle with the pipe wrench. The female suspect then charged toward the deputy and a deputy involved shooting occurred,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in a written statement.

The pipe wrench was recovered at the scene.

A civilian SUV was found with two shattered windows on Vincent Avenue just south of the crime scene. At least one other vehicle also suffered a shattered windshield near the intersection where the deputy shooting occurred.

A resident who asked that her name not be used witnessed some of the commotion as the suspect swung the wrench pipe at passing motorists. One driver was reportedly forced to drive northbound in southbound lanes to avoid their vehicle being struck.

One pedestrian familiar with the resident said the suspect threatened her with the wrench pipe.

A mess of bloodied cloth, the suspect’s shoes, evidence markers and the pipe wrench were scattered about the asphalt.

It is unclear if the suspect suffered from mental issues, or was under the influence.

LOS ANGELES – The 19-year-old suspect wanted in connection with a shooting that left two men dead and two other wounded surrendered November 10.

Joel Daniel Garcia surrendered at 11:35 a.m. to U.S. Customs and Border Control in Otay Mesa.

Garcia was transferred to the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Fugitive Unit. He was booked at the Sheriff’s Norwalk Station at 7:18 p.m., according to Los Angeles County booking records.

As of Thursday he is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Norwalk Station. He is scheduled to appear at the Pomona courthouse November 14.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - Investigators have publicly named a 19-year-old suspect wanted in connection with the double murder of two men and wounding of two others at a Halloween party in unincorporated Covina.

Joel Daniel Garcia Is wanted for attempted murder, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Garcia stands 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighs 160 pounds, has brown hair and brown eyes. Garcia should be considered armed and dangerous.

A large group of people gathered for the Halloween party the night of October 29 in the 17000 block of East Bellbrook Street in Vincent, which is unincorporated Covina.

A fight spilled out into the driveway where the shooting occurred. One victim, identified as 20-year-old Ronnie Benitez, died at the scene. A second victim, 33-year-old Vladimir Umana, died at a hospital. Two other victims were hospitalized and their conditions are not publicly known.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Garcia is urged to call the Los Angeles County sheriffs homicide Bureau 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.

VINCENT – The coroner publicly identified one of the two men killed in the October 30 shooting, while family identified the second slain victim.

Ronnie Benitez, 20, was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Family and friends identified the second victim, 33-year-old Vladimir Umana, who leaves behind two children and a wife.

Benitez died at the scene of the shooting. Umana died at a hospital.

Family members released security footage and images of the melee that spilled out from the home in the 17000 block of Bellbrook Street around 12:20 a.m. October 30.

The fight spilled out onto the driveway where the shooting happened. Detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau believe there is possibly a second suspect. The shooter was seen fleeing west on Bellbrook Street.

VINCENT - A man reportedly armed with a black semi-automatic handgun robbed a 7-Eleven in the early morning hours of Saturday, July 9.

The robbery occurred after 3:30 a.m. at the 7-Eleven, 15942 E. San Bernardino Rd. The suspect reportedly took cash during the robbery. He was last seen fleeing on foot southbound from the 7-Eleven, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station radio traffic.

It is unclear if the suspect ran to a vehicle, or some other type of transportation.

​The suspect was described as a black man 35 to 40 years old. He stood 6 feet tall, he was dressed in all dark clothing and had a thin build.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

VINCENT - Four suspects were involved in the theft of a catalytic converter Sunday morning and one of the suspects was possibly armed with a handgun while guarding the front door of their victim.

The crime unfolded around 3:40 a.m. in the 16000 block of Ballentine Place, January 23. A surveillance camera captured one suspect guarding the front door of the victim’s residence and appeared to conceal a handgun in a front sweater pocket, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station.

All four suspects arrived in two different vehicles. As the armed man guarded the front door, the other three stole the catalytic converter.

“The suspects were well organized, performing a separate roll during the commission of the theft,” according to the Sheriff’s San Dimas Station in a written statement.

VINCENT – No one was injured and no residents were impacted after a large fire gutted a building at an abandoned school early Tuesday.

Los Angeles County Fire Department arson investigators are assisting Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies in determining the cause of the fire at the former Tri-Community Adult School, 16209 E. San Bernardino Rd., according to Cpt. Ron Haralson, public information officer for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Firefighters were dispatched at 2:43 a.m. and once on scene saw heavy smoke and fire. The fire heavily damaged the cafeteria portion of the school, Haralson told SGV CityWatch.

More than 100 firefighters, including West Covina firefighters, battled the blaze.

Heavy equipment was summoned to break open the walls and roof of the cafeteria to better apply water and foam. No other areas of the school were destroyed, Haralson told SGV CityWatch.

San Bernardino Road between Irwindale Avenue and Vincent Avenue has been closed off for fire personnel and investigators to continue working on scene, which may be well into the morning, Haralson told SGV CityWatch.

The cause remains under investigation.

A building at the abandoned school was subject to an estimated $100,000 in damage April 9 when a possible transient cooking fire ignited in a classroom, authorities said in a previous interview.

A firefighter was injured in the April 9 fire.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

VINCENT - A likely cooking fire caused an estimated $100,000 in damage to the building at a shuttered school in unincorporated Covina early Friday, a Sheriff’s sergeant said.

Firefighters discovered one building at the site, 16209 E. San Bernardino Rd., fully involved with flames just before 2 a.m. April 9, according to Dispatch Supervisor Michael Pittman with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

“The captain said the fire appeared to have started in one of the classrooms along the east side,” according to Sgt. Pete Shupe of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station.

Evidence at the scene indicates a cooking fire started by squatters inside the classroom grew out of control, according to a report Shupe read.

One firefighter received minor injuries and was taken to an area hospital to be checked, Pittman told SGV CityWatch.

The building is on the former Griswold school site.

Firefighters reported flames were knocked down at 2:41 a.m., Pittman told SGV CityWatch.