Whittier, CA. – On Tuesday, July 31, 2007, at approximately 5:05 am, a Whittier Police officer working patrol, was driving 8100 block of Greenleaf Ave., when he observed a truck backed up against a furniture store building. Stopping to investigate further, he came in contact with a male who was wearing gloves and had been loading antique furniture on to the truck bed. The officer found that the businesses door had been forced open and a second suspect was detained near by.
Ernesto Avila, 31 years-old, and Manuel Avila, 45 years-old, both residents of Whittier, were arrested for burglary and are currently in custody at the Whittier Police Department jail. Their bail is set at $20,000 each.
For further information, please contact PIO Diana Salazar at (562) 945-8287
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Car to Car Shooting
Whittier - On Saturday, July 28, 2007 at 10:00 p.m., officers responded to a call in regards to a car to car shooting in the area of Beverly Blvd. and Pioneer Blvd. Witnesses said they saw a white minivan stopped at a traffic signal when a white sport utility vehicle stopped behind it. A passenger in the sport utility vehicle began to shoot at the minivan. Witnesses did not see in which direction both vehicles had fled, or if anyone had been injured in the shooting. Anyone with any information should contact the Whittier Police Department at (562) 945-8250.
Man Shot at Mc Donald's
Santa Fe Springs, CA. – On Saturday, July 28, 2007 at 8:30 p.m., officers responded to a call of shots fired with a subject down at the Mc Donald’s located at 13310 Telegraph Road. Arriving, officers located a subject who had been shot an unknown number of times. The 42 year-old, Hispanic male, who’s identity has not been released, was treated at the scene and transported to Saint Francis Hospital in critical condition.
The suspect is described as wearing dark clothing, a black baseball cap and dark sunglasses. Detectives were called to the scene to investigate. Anyone with any information should contact the Whittier Police Department at (562) 945-8250.
The suspect is described as wearing dark clothing, a black baseball cap and dark sunglasses. Detectives were called to the scene to investigate. Anyone with any information should contact the Whittier Police Department at (562) 945-8250.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
I-Pod Robberies
On July 24, 2007 at 3:30 p.m., two robberies occurred in the area of La Serna High School. The first occurred at La Serna Dr. and Youngwood Dr. A 15 year-old high school student was approached by two male Hispanics as he was walking in the area. He was told by the suspects to give them his I-Pod. Fearing for his safety, the student handed over his I-Pod. The suspects left in a waiting vehicle.
A second incident occurred shortly thereafter, when a 16 year-old high school student was walking in the 8400 block of Villaverde Drive. The boy heard someone calling out to him, as the student turned, he was approached by two Hispanic males who demanded his I-Pod. In this incident, one of the suspects grabbed the headphones and I-Pod away from the boy.
Officers were able to obtain a license plate from a passerby who had observed a Chevrolet Astro van in the area of these two incidents. Later that evening, a Whittier police officer saw the van in the 5400 block of Norwalk Blvd. The officer stopped the van, and during his investigation he found the stolen I-Pods in the van.
One of the victims was able to identify two of the suspects from inside of the van.
A total of five people were arrested for the robberies. Three male juveniles, ages 16 to 17, who reside in the city of Whittier, were booked and transported to Los Padrinos Juvenile Detention Facility. The other two male adults were identified as Victor Sosa 19 years-old, of Pico Rivera and Eric Gutierrez, 18 years-old, of La Habra. They are currently in custody at the Whittier Police Department jail.
Anyone with further information is encouraged to contact the Whittier Police Department at (562) 945-8250.
A second incident occurred shortly thereafter, when a 16 year-old high school student was walking in the 8400 block of Villaverde Drive. The boy heard someone calling out to him, as the student turned, he was approached by two Hispanic males who demanded his I-Pod. In this incident, one of the suspects grabbed the headphones and I-Pod away from the boy.
Officers were able to obtain a license plate from a passerby who had observed a Chevrolet Astro van in the area of these two incidents. Later that evening, a Whittier police officer saw the van in the 5400 block of Norwalk Blvd. The officer stopped the van, and during his investigation he found the stolen I-Pods in the van.
One of the victims was able to identify two of the suspects from inside of the van.
A total of five people were arrested for the robberies. Three male juveniles, ages 16 to 17, who reside in the city of Whittier, were booked and transported to Los Padrinos Juvenile Detention Facility. The other two male adults were identified as Victor Sosa 19 years-old, of Pico Rivera and Eric Gutierrez, 18 years-old, of La Habra. They are currently in custody at the Whittier Police Department jail.
Anyone with further information is encouraged to contact the Whittier Police Department at (562) 945-8250.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Two Suspects Arrested for an Alleged Scam
WHITTIER - With help from an angry grandson, police arrested two men Wednesday for allegedly trying to scam elderly drivers.
When Chamber of Commerce President Chris George got a call from his 90-year-old grandmother that two men had tried to cheat her, he and a friend went searching and found the suspects with another victim.
And his information later helped police officers locate the suspects, officials said.
George said his grandmother, Della, left the Ralphs parking lot Wednesday morning and was on a side street when two men flagged her down. They said her wheel was coming off and her Toyota Camry was smoking, he added.
They said it would cost her thousands to fix, which they could do cheaper.
Whittier police Officer Diana Salazar said the men presented themselves as Toyota certified mechanics and offered to call for the victim. They pretended to call the dealership and told her the dealer was busy. They also pretended to call AAA for her.
The two men offered to take her car to the dealer for her, George, 36, said. His grandmother later went to the nearby Toyota dealership, called him and relayed what happened.
"She was very distraught," George said, adding that he told her she got scammed and to go home. He said he got upset and, accompanied by a friend, went looking for the con artists at Ralphs. They drove around the parking lot and area but found no one. On a final search, they spotted the suspects with another victim by the recycling area.
"Her car was jacked up and her wheel was off her car. I called the police again and said, `It's happening right now,"' George said. He and his friend approached the culprits.
"They were getting close to her. I didn't want anything happening to the lady," he said.
He told her she was getting scammed. One of the suspects put the tire back on the car.
"They said, `We're Christians. ... good Samaritans,"' George said. He reminded the men they told his grandmother they were Toyota mechanics.
One of the suspects walked to a nearby gas station. The other left in an Infinity G35 with Washington license plates.
Officers pulled over the Infinity at Cole Road, south of Whittier Boulevard.
Michael C. Dennis, 25, of Long Beach and Tony Marks, 27, of West Covina were booked on suspicion of attempted vehicle theft and theft from an elder adult. They were being held at Whittier police jail and will be arraigned Friday at Whittier Court, officials said.
Salazar said Dennis has outstanding warrants for elder theft.
Police know of at least three victims.
The first Whittier victim was an 82-year-old woman. She called police Tuesday about two men who flagged her down and said she had car problems. They told her they were mechanics and offered to repair it for less than a dealer, Salazar said. She declined their offer and left.
"She thought it odd," Salazar said. The second victim was George's grandmother, and the third was the driver found with the suspects by the recycling area.
Police suspect there may be more victims. Anyone with information on the case should call Whittier police at (562) 945-8250 and ask for the Detective Bureau.
Councilwoman Cathy Warner, a friend of George, praised him for coming to the rescue.
"As far as I am concerned, he was very courageous to go back there and spot these guys so they could arrest them," she said.
George said this issue was personal. "They're messing with my grandmother," he said. "That's why I went after them."
ruby.gonzales@sgvn.com
Article from the Whittier Daily News
When Chamber of Commerce President Chris George got a call from his 90-year-old grandmother that two men had tried to cheat her, he and a friend went searching and found the suspects with another victim.
And his information later helped police officers locate the suspects, officials said.
George said his grandmother, Della, left the Ralphs parking lot Wednesday morning and was on a side street when two men flagged her down. They said her wheel was coming off and her Toyota Camry was smoking, he added.
They said it would cost her thousands to fix, which they could do cheaper.
Whittier police Officer Diana Salazar said the men presented themselves as Toyota certified mechanics and offered to call for the victim. They pretended to call the dealership and told her the dealer was busy. They also pretended to call AAA for her.
The two men offered to take her car to the dealer for her, George, 36, said. His grandmother later went to the nearby Toyota dealership, called him and relayed what happened.
"She was very distraught," George said, adding that he told her she got scammed and to go home. He said he got upset and, accompanied by a friend, went looking for the con artists at Ralphs. They drove around the parking lot and area but found no one. On a final search, they spotted the suspects with another victim by the recycling area.
"Her car was jacked up and her wheel was off her car. I called the police again and said, `It's happening right now,"' George said. He and his friend approached the culprits.
"They were getting close to her. I didn't want anything happening to the lady," he said.
He told her she was getting scammed. One of the suspects put the tire back on the car.
"They said, `We're Christians. ... good Samaritans,"' George said. He reminded the men they told his grandmother they were Toyota mechanics.
One of the suspects walked to a nearby gas station. The other left in an Infinity G35 with Washington license plates.
Officers pulled over the Infinity at Cole Road, south of Whittier Boulevard.
Michael C. Dennis, 25, of Long Beach and Tony Marks, 27, of West Covina were booked on suspicion of attempted vehicle theft and theft from an elder adult. They were being held at Whittier police jail and will be arraigned Friday at Whittier Court, officials said.
Salazar said Dennis has outstanding warrants for elder theft.
Police know of at least three victims.
The first Whittier victim was an 82-year-old woman. She called police Tuesday about two men who flagged her down and said she had car problems. They told her they were mechanics and offered to repair it for less than a dealer, Salazar said. She declined their offer and left.
"She thought it odd," Salazar said. The second victim was George's grandmother, and the third was the driver found with the suspects by the recycling area.
Police suspect there may be more victims. Anyone with information on the case should call Whittier police at (562) 945-8250 and ask for the Detective Bureau.
Councilwoman Cathy Warner, a friend of George, praised him for coming to the rescue.
"As far as I am concerned, he was very courageous to go back there and spot these guys so they could arrest them," she said.
George said this issue was personal. "They're messing with my grandmother," he said. "That's why I went after them."
ruby.gonzales@sgvn.com
Article from the Whittier Daily News
Thieves Smash Car Into the CVS Pharmacy
WHITTIER - Thieves using a stolen car smashed through the front doors of a pharmacy Wednesday and grabbed a large quantity of a cold remedy used to make methamphetamine.
The incident at CVS Pharmacy at 12560 Whittier Blvd. resembles a similar theft in Anaheim that occurred early Tuesday, said Diana Salazar, the Whittier police spokeswoman.
"We got an alarm call at 2:20 a.m.," Salazar said. "Officers discovered that a large quantity of pseudoephedrine, a cold remedy had been taken. ... It's used to cook methamphetamine."
No prescription medications appeared to be missing, Salazar said
Although the federal Drug Enforcement Administration is not investigating the theft, or the similar one that occurred in Anaheim, a spokeswoman said Wednesday that the agency was monitoring both cases.
"This is unusual, anytime there is a theft of pseudoephedrine it would cause some alarm," said DEA Special Agent Sarah Pullen. "It will definitely cause us to look into these cases to see if there are other similar crimes or organizations this ties into."
The Nissan Sentra, which was used to smash through the front doors of the pharmacy, appeared to be stolen from Anaheim, Salazar said.
Police officials recovered surveillance video from the store that indicates two people were involved in the theft. Salazar said the video would be released after it is reviewed by detectives.
The Anaheim robbery occurred Tuesday at 12:28 a.m., officials said. In the incident, a car smashed through the doors of a CVS Pharmacy at 1660 West Katella Ave., authorities said.
A white Toyota Camry station wagon was left behind. By Wednesday afternoon, police were unable to locate the vehicle's owner, Anaheim police Sgt. Rick Martinez said.
Anaheim detectives also recovered a videotape of the theft. It reportedly shows a man and woman committing the crime.
"They took a quantity of pseudoephedrine, Claritin and nasal decongestant," Martinez said. "The couple ran out of the store leaving the vehicle behind."
The pair jumped into a waiting red compact car and drove off. It is not clear from the surveillance tape if the red car was the same used in the Whittier robbery, Martinez said.
The suspects in the Anaheim robbery were described as a possibly Latino man, with a moustache, dark hair, wearing a brown shirt and blue jeans and a woman described only as being of medium build.
frank.girardot@sgvn.com
Article from the Whittier Daily News
The incident at CVS Pharmacy at 12560 Whittier Blvd. resembles a similar theft in Anaheim that occurred early Tuesday, said Diana Salazar, the Whittier police spokeswoman.
"We got an alarm call at 2:20 a.m.," Salazar said. "Officers discovered that a large quantity of pseudoephedrine, a cold remedy had been taken. ... It's used to cook methamphetamine."
No prescription medications appeared to be missing, Salazar said
Although the federal Drug Enforcement Administration is not investigating the theft, or the similar one that occurred in Anaheim, a spokeswoman said Wednesday that the agency was monitoring both cases.
"This is unusual, anytime there is a theft of pseudoephedrine it would cause some alarm," said DEA Special Agent Sarah Pullen. "It will definitely cause us to look into these cases to see if there are other similar crimes or organizations this ties into."
The Nissan Sentra, which was used to smash through the front doors of the pharmacy, appeared to be stolen from Anaheim, Salazar said.
Police officials recovered surveillance video from the store that indicates two people were involved in the theft. Salazar said the video would be released after it is reviewed by detectives.
The Anaheim robbery occurred Tuesday at 12:28 a.m., officials said. In the incident, a car smashed through the doors of a CVS Pharmacy at 1660 West Katella Ave., authorities said.
A white Toyota Camry station wagon was left behind. By Wednesday afternoon, police were unable to locate the vehicle's owner, Anaheim police Sgt. Rick Martinez said.
Anaheim detectives also recovered a videotape of the theft. It reportedly shows a man and woman committing the crime.
"They took a quantity of pseudoephedrine, Claritin and nasal decongestant," Martinez said. "The couple ran out of the store leaving the vehicle behind."
The pair jumped into a waiting red compact car and drove off. It is not clear from the surveillance tape if the red car was the same used in the Whittier robbery, Martinez said.
The suspects in the Anaheim robbery were described as a possibly Latino man, with a moustache, dark hair, wearing a brown shirt and blue jeans and a woman described only as being of medium build.
frank.girardot@sgvn.com
Article from the Whittier Daily News
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Suspect arrested after carjacking
A man was arrested Thursday, July 5, 2007, on suspicion of carjacking within an hour of allegedly committing the crime, officials said.
A carjacking was reported about 6:30 p.m. in the 10700 block of Shire Place, said Whittier police Lt. Steve Dean.
About half an hour later, an officer spotted the stolen Ford F-150 only blocks away on Palm Avenue and called for backup as he followed the truck, Dean said.
Before the officer could even pull the truck over, it sideswiped a parked car, striking the rear-
view mirror, said Dean.
The suspect, whose name was not immediately available, pulled over in the 5600 block of Palm Avenue after the minor accident and officers took him into custody without further incident, Dean said.
Article courtesy of the Whittier Daily News.
A carjacking was reported about 6:30 p.m. in the 10700 block of Shire Place, said Whittier police Lt. Steve Dean.
About half an hour later, an officer spotted the stolen Ford F-150 only blocks away on Palm Avenue and called for backup as he followed the truck, Dean said.
Before the officer could even pull the truck over, it sideswiped a parked car, striking the rear-
view mirror, said Dean.
The suspect, whose name was not immediately available, pulled over in the 5600 block of Palm Avenue after the minor accident and officers took him into custody without further incident, Dean said.
Article courtesy of the Whittier Daily News.
Man in custody following a stabbing
A man was arrested Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 1210 a.m., after he allegedly stabbed another man 11 times and his own mother once as she was trying to break up the fight, officials said.
The crime was reported just after midnight in the 10600 block of Cordoba Court, said Whittier police Lt. Bryan Ellis. The suspect was identified as Joshua Banuelos, estimated to be in his 20s, Ellis said.
The victim, whose name has not been released, was attempting to visit his ex-girlfriend when her brother, Banuelos, became angry, Ellis said. Banuelos allegedly pulled a pocket knife and stabbed the victim, a Boyle Heights man also estimated to be in his 20s, 11 times in the upper torso, said Ellis.
When the suspect's mother tried to stop the attack, she was stabbed in the arm by her own son, Ellis said. The mother suffered only minor injuries and was treated at the scene, he added.
Banuelos has been booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Ellis said.
Article courtesy of the Whittier Daily News
The crime was reported just after midnight in the 10600 block of Cordoba Court, said Whittier police Lt. Bryan Ellis. The suspect was identified as Joshua Banuelos, estimated to be in his 20s, Ellis said.
The victim, whose name has not been released, was attempting to visit his ex-girlfriend when her brother, Banuelos, became angry, Ellis said. Banuelos allegedly pulled a pocket knife and stabbed the victim, a Boyle Heights man also estimated to be in his 20s, 11 times in the upper torso, said Ellis.
When the suspect's mother tried to stop the attack, she was stabbed in the arm by her own son, Ellis said. The mother suffered only minor injuries and was treated at the scene, he added.
Banuelos has been booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Ellis said.
Article courtesy of the Whittier Daily News
Monday, July 09, 2007
Driving Under the Influence Checkpoint
On Friday, July 13, 2007 the Whittier Police Department will conduct a Driving Under the Influence Checkpoint. The checkpoint will be conducted in the area of Washington Blvd. and Lambert Rd. The time of the checkpoint will be 10:00 PM to 3:00 AM.
Officers will also be checking for unlicensed motorists or those who are driving with a suspended driver’s license. Any motorist found driving with an invalid license may have their vehicle impounded for 30 days and be issued a citation.
The checkpoint and other enforcement efforts are part of the Whittier Police Department’s efforts that coincides with the national “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” campaign and California’s “Report Drunk Driving-Call 911” public message. The funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
For further information, please contact Sgt. Dan Lowe at (562) 945-8256
Officers will also be checking for unlicensed motorists or those who are driving with a suspended driver’s license. Any motorist found driving with an invalid license may have their vehicle impounded for 30 days and be issued a citation.
The checkpoint and other enforcement efforts are part of the Whittier Police Department’s efforts that coincides with the national “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” campaign and California’s “Report Drunk Driving-Call 911” public message. The funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
For further information, please contact Sgt. Dan Lowe at (562) 945-8256
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