Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

WALNUT - Mt. SAC security and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies will conduct an active shooter simulation on the college campus August 15.

The simulation will incorporate role playing, emergency vehicles with lights and sirens, loud bangs and screaming, according to Mt. San Antonio College staff.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

POMONA - The 18-year-old student accused of stabbing another student during a confrontation at Mt. San Antonio College was given probation September 25.

Gavin Flores was originally charged with battery and bringing weapons with him on school grounds at an initial appearance in the Pomona Courthouse.

“The defendant pled no contest to misdemeanor violation of PC 626.10 for 1 year of summary probation, 15 days of community labor, Search and Seizure conditions, and Weapons conditions,” according to Venusse Navid from the media relations division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Deputies responded to Mt. SAC, 1100 N. Grand Ave., just after 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, September 20 on a reported stabbing.

Firefighter paramedics transported the patient to the nearest hospital for further treatment, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The victim was last listed in stable condition, according to Lt. Itani of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station.

The battery allegedly stemmed from an argument between the two men over a woman who is also a student.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

WALNUT - School officials are saying a suspect has been detained amidst an investigation into an altercation on the campus of Mount San Antonio College Wednesday.

Details are a few at this moment, but deputies responded to the community college, 1100 N. Grand Ave., just after 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, September 20 on a reported stabbing, according to a watch sergeant at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar Station.

Firefighter paramedics were dispatched to the scene, transport of the patient who was then taken to the nearest hospital for further treatment, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

What led up to the stabbing is not yet publicly known, nor is the status of the stabbing victim.

Mt. SAC officials are asking witnesses to call the college’s Campus Safety department at 909-274-4555.

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

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.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

WALNUT – A critical onsite worker has contracted COVID-19 and was on campus recently, the community college publicized Wednesday.

The worker was last on campus in Building 46 and Building 46A between June 15 and June 18. The worker is self-isolating at home and is recovering, campus officials said.

The affected buildings were vacated and thoroughly cleaned, campus officials said.

“The college is actively tracing the individual’s steps and contacting employees who came in contact with the individual. In addition, the contact tracing includes the collection of further information from those in contact with the individual, their wellness and their subsequent contacts,” campus officials said in a written statement.

Those who may have been in contact with the worker were provided testing instructions and instructed them to self-isolate for 14 days.

Mt. San Antonio College has remained closed since March 19 after the statewide Safer at Home order forced all non-essential businesses closed. Classes have moved to virtual instruction and classes remain so.

WALNUT - A student reported being sexually assaulted inside a parked vehicle Wednesday.

The student alerted the Mt. San Antonio College Police & Campus Safety Department at 1:45 p.m. September 18. A classmate assaulted the victim inside the vehicle earlier Wednesday in the vicinity of Parking Lot A, according to Mt. SAC officials.

Sgt. Cardoza of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Diamond Bar/Walnut Station acknowledged that deputies responded to the call, but declined to provide any details.

It is unclear if a suspect has been arrested.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

WALNUT - A suspect reportedly took cellphone photos or video of a student from under a women’s restroom stall on the Mt. San Antonio College campus Monday night.
 
The victim saw the suspect under the stall door in building 17, which is located in the center of the more than 400-acre campus around 8 p.m. October 1.
 
Mt. SAC security officers arrived and secured the scene. The suspect had already fled the location and was not found after a search, according to Deputy Chief Bob Wren of the Mt. SAC Police and Campus Safety office.
 
“It’s happened before on occasion,” Wren said of peeping toms. “This is the first time this has happened this semester.”
 
The suspect was reportedly chased from campus by Good Samaritans and by the victim herself, according to eyewitnesses.
 
The suspect is possibly a man, 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall, had dark shoulder-length hair, wore a grey shirt and dark pants.
 
The Citrus College campus has seen a brief spike in similar cases, with reports of peeping toms in women’s restrooms on September 11 and September 9.