Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch

WALNUT ISLANDS - Investigators are searching for anyone involved in a marijuana operation that led to a destructive residential fire Monday morning.

Roughly 400 Marijuana plants were discovered after firefighters extinguished the blaze. No one was injured and no other structures were damaged, according to Sgt. Starkly of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station.

Firefighters were called just before 9 a.m. to the 19800 block of Florencita Drive December 12 in an unincorporated area identified as Walnut Islands.

Investigators with the Sheriff’s Arson/Explosives Detail is investigating.

The home has been red-tagged, Starkey told SGV CityWatch.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - A former employee of Mt. San Antonio College has been named as the driver who struck and killed a pedestrian in a likely deliberate act.

James Milliken, 38, was placed in custody. He was booked on suspicion of murder and is being held in lieu of $2 million bail, according to Los Angeles County booking records.

Milliken allegedly struck and killed Raphael Barragan near a building on the Mt. SAC campus, 1100 South Grand Ave., around 7:30 a.m. December 1. First responders found a victim suffering from trauma. He died at the scene. Milliken was detained, taken to a hospital, and later admitted, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Milliken was a part-time driver with the campus’ ACCESS program from October 2016 until his resignation in September 2021, according to Mt. SAC President William Scroggins.

A Facebook account belonging to James Milliken reveals a lengthy post in which he unloads anger at what he describes being degraded, discarded during his time as a Mt. SAC employee.

“From the very beginning I was treated with disrespect. The first incident was something most Psychologists call a microaggression; however these humiliations and deep-cutting comments said by many individuals in the workplace are only said to or about African American employees,” Milliken said in his Facebook post.

Milliken alleges an untold number of employees labeled him with the “N word.”

Milliken named Barragan as one of his aggressors.

“Dealing with this person who not only threaten me on multiple occasion [Sic]. But also convinced others to take part in the harassment and take up a threatening posture against me.

Milliken also said employees allegedly blamed him that personal items were no longer acceptable due to a bottle of lotion he placed on his desk, which caused a ban on such items, Milliken posted.

Milliken was also furious about how he was treated for growing out his hair. Some employees allegedly called him a thug.

“Losing Ralph has been heartbreaking for our campus community. The circumstances of his passing are additionally painful,” Scroggins said in a written statement.

Milliken was scheduled for a December 1 appearance in Pomona Superior Court. He is being held in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

WALNUT - The president of Mount SAC identified a man Thursday who was likely killed in a deliberate collision on campus.

Ralph Barragan, 63, was first hired at Mt. San Antonio College in 2007 and spent his entire career there as a bus driver for the ACCESS program, which caters to special-needs students. He was a bus driver, shuttling special needs students around campus, according to Mt. SAC president William Scroggins.

“This is as tragic a situation as we can imagine on our campus. Our hearts and sincere condolences go out to Ralph’s family and countless friends,” Scroggins said in a written statement.

Deputies and firefighters were called to the mount sac campus, 1100 South Grand Ave., around 7:30 a.m. December 1. They found a collision: a vehicle versus pedestrian near Building 9A and found a victim suffering from trauma. He died at the scene. The driver was detained, taken to a hospital, and later admitted, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“Everyone knew Ralph. He was always smiling, greeting staff and students by their names, and befriending everyone he met,” according to Vice President of Student Services Audrey Yamagata-Noji. “We are shocked and saddened by his passing. He will be missed, but not forgotten.”

It is not yet publicly clear if investigators have determined a motive, or have arrested the driver.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

WALNUT - A pedestrian died after being targeted in a collision on the Mt. San Antonio College campus , homicide investigators said Thursday.

The driver was hospitalized and admitted, the pedestrian died. Investigators have not publicly revealed why the crash was intentional.

Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters were called to Mt. SAC, 1100 S. Grand Ave., near Building 9A around 7:30 a.m. December 1.

“When deputies arrived, they located the pedestrian unresponsive and suffering from trauma. Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics responded and pronounced the pedestrian deceased at the scene,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in a written statement. “The driver of the vehicle was transported to a local area hospital where he was treated and subsequently admitted.
There is no threat to the campus, according to a written statement issued by Mt. SAC campus.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

WALNUT - An armed Suspect was killed by a resident inside a home early Saturday and a second suspect remains at-large, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The confrontation occurred around 4 a.m. May 21 in the 20000 block of East Country Hollow Drive. A 26-year-old woman and and 27-year-old man were in the home. While investigating the sound of footsteps, the man was confronted by the armed suspect, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Both men opened fire on each other. The suspect was hit multiple times in the upper torso. He died at the scene. The man and woman were uninjured, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“A second suspect fled the location and is currently outstanding. There is no description of the second suspect, and it is unknown if a vehicle was used during the crime,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The suspect’s handgun was recovered at the scene.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

UPDATE, 6:46 p.m.: Following an investigation, deputies have cleared the campus. Mt. SAC is set to reopen first thing Wednesday morning, according to college officials.

WALNUT - A bomb K9 has been called to assist deputies with the investigation into a found in bomb threat at Mount San Antonio College Tuesday afternoon.

A call was reportedly made at 12:50 p.m. January 4 to the community college, 1100 North Grand Ave. the threat is reportedly affecting only one building, according to Deputy Jimenez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

It is not yet clear how many students may have been on campus at the time the bomb threat was phoned in and it is unclear how many students are currently evacuated.

An email alert sent to Mt. SAC students advised them to calmly collect their gatherings and leave for the day.

WALNUT – Coroner investigators are determining cause of death after a man died at Lemon Creek Park Wednesday.

Deputies responded around 2 p.m. to the park, 130 Avenida Alipaz, October 13. The man died near a flagpole, according to Lt. Sandoval of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station.

The man was found unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies initially believe the man died from natural causes, Sandoval told SGV CityWatch.

The man has yet to be identified.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

WALNUT - A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle along Amar Road, Sunday afternoon, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s sergeant said.

The driver remained at the scene of the collision on Amar Road at Country Hollow Drive. Deputies were called to the scene at 4:35 p.m., according to Sgt. Solorzano of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Diamond Bar/Walnut Station.

No other details were readily available.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

WALNUT - A solo male occupant died after his black Hyundai Sonata crashed along northbound Grand Avenue near Shadow Mountain Road July 3, a Sheriff’s sergeant said.

The unidentified driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree in the center divider of Grand Avenue, according to Sgt. Tinoco of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station.

The crash occurred around 7:09 a.m. The driver died at the scene, according to radio traffic from the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash, Tinoco told SGV CityWatch.

“Per witnesses, speeding might have been a factor,” Tinoco told SGV CityWatch.

Foothill Transit announced at 12:40 p.m. that bus lines 190 and 480 are detouring around the scene.

WALNUT – A Pomona man and West Covina man were arrested and stolen property was recovered as catalytic converter and trailer thefts continue to plague the San Gabriel Valley.

Pomona resident Alberto Huerta and West Covina man Moises Beltran were taken into custody. A subsequent search warrant in Riverside County yielded eight trailers, which had VINs removed, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station in a March 9 announcement.

Detectives are attempting to locate each theft victim. Huerta and Beltran were booked on suspicion of grand theft.

Cities have seen an alarming and steady increase in catalytic converter thefts during the pandemic.

Thieves tend to target trucks and SUVs, because the taller vehicles make it easier to fit under them. Vehicles currently targeted are the Toyota Prius, Honda Accord and Toyota trucks, according to the Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station.

In December of 2020, Walnut Station detectives reported 37 catalytic converter thefts, the total averaged more than 1 theft per day, according to the Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station.

Fontana Police officers announced the January 16 arrest of Pomona man Freddy Baltazar. Evidence seized connected Baltazar to numerous catalytic converter thefts in the Diamond Bar, Walnut and Rowland Heights areas.

To help stem the tide of thefts, the Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station hosted a series of events for residents to etch serial numbers into their vehicle’s catalytic converters free of charge.

Deputies offered a few tips to help make it tougher for thieves to steal catalytic converters:
• When possible, park in well-lit areas and close to building entrances.
• Park your car inside the garage.
• Have the catalytic converter welded to your car's frame, which may make it harder to steal.
• Consider engraving your vehicle identification number (VIN) on the catalytic converter — this may help alert a scrap dealer that it was stolen and make it easier to identify the owner.
• Calibrate your car's alarm to set off when it detects vibration.
• Invest in a catalytic converter anti-theft device.