Results tagged “Pasadena” from Crime Scene

This from the AP. Sirhan lived in Pasadena. His brother Munir maintains the family home near Muir High School:

From reporter Dan Abendschein:

The two police officers who shot and killed 38-year-old Pasadena resident Leroy Barnes in February will not face any criminal charges from the county, officials said Wednesday.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office concluded its investigation Wednesday and notified the Pasadena Police Department of that finding, writing that the officers acted in "lawful self-defense."

"This analysis must also allow for the fact that officers are often forced to make split-second judgments, about the amount of force that is necessary, in circumstances that are tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving," said the report's conclusion. Barnes, a parolee, was shot 11 times, including seven times in the back, after officers pulled over a car driven by Emeka Edwards on Mentone Avenue on Feb. 19. Barnes was a passenger.

This from the PCC Courier:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement congratulating Barney Melekian after he was appointed director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder:

 

"With years of experience, Barney Melekian possesses the essential knowledge needed to serve in this new role as director of COPS. As chief of the Pasadena Police Department, Barney has worked day and night to protect his community and I am confident that he will continue to do the same on the national level. On behalf of all Californians, Maria and I congratulate Barney on this tremendous accomplishment."

Deputies shoot a burg suspect in Azusa;

The District Attorney's office will charge a Pasadena couple with murder, torture and methamphetamine possession after a two-year-old was found dead in their home, officials said Thursday.

By some estimates there are as many as 400 members of the Denver Lanes street gang living in Pasadena.

A blood gang that probably originated in Los Angeles, PDL is often responsible for much of the violence that occurs in Northwest Pasadena.

Needless to say, the streets, apartments and housing projects PDL claims as its turf don't often make New Year's Day television broadcasts highlighting the wonders of the Rose City.

Neither does much of the rest of the city north of the 210 Freeway for that matter. Where turf is claimed by gangs like the Pasadena Latin Kings, the Raymond Avenue Crips, Northside Pasadena, the Villa Boyz, Varrio Pasadena Rifa, the Summit Street Smokers, Pepper Street, Squiggly Lane and the Project Gangsters.

Some wear red like the Bloods. Some wear blue like the Crips. Others, like the Project Gangsters, simply wear black.

On a summer day in the Northwest, families sweltering in cramped apartments seek refuge on rickety balconies. A cop drives by in an unmarked car and gets mad-dogged by an old woman who mouths obscenities before flipping the bird.

Down the road on Orange Grove Boulevard, the passenger in a car traveling the opposite direction hangs out the window and contorts his hand into an unmistakable gang sign.

On Howard Street, a group of young men shoot craps as they banter with the cop about the neighborhood.

Outside a Washington Boulevard apartment complex, a guy once named in an

injunction against the PDL gang tells the cop his brother will be "out in a minute." In other words, his brother is doing prison time and probably has two or three years to go before he's eligible for parole.

On another street the cop points out the luxury Lexus that belongs to the PDL's shot-caller. Near Robinson Road, he points out a yellow mansion with exterior spiral staircases and white trim. It's surrounded by a 6-foot-high, wrought-iron fence.

"They shoot pornos there," he says. "Or at least they used to."

Up on Woodbury, the detective talks to a young girl about her family. She says many of her relatives are unavailable. But, "They'll be back in a minute."

Elsewhere drug deals go down in alleyways and driveways. The sight of a white, unmarked patrol car sends the actors scurrying in various directions.

Up the road, a "basehead" looks lost standing outside an abandoned house. A couple of doors down three generations of a family that's well-known to cops in Northwest Pasadena gathers on their front lawn and driveway.

Most everywhere the detective gets stares and dirty looks.

Somehow the neighborhood has been a breeding ground for violence and bad behavior for as long as most remember. This is where gangs like PDL thrive.

"The gangs are constantly struggling for power in the community," Pasadena police Detective Kevin Gomez recently explained in a preliminary hearing for Dwayne Rice and Charles Wetstone, a pair of PDLs accused in the execution murder of Squiggly Lane rival David Crosby.

"The larger the territory, the more opportunities for the gang," he continued.

Police have apparently arrested the mother of a 2-year-old found dead in his crib Tuesday, according to Sheriff's booking records. The woman is being held on $1 million bail. 

This from the Star-News: 

PASADENA -- An autopsy is scheduled to be performed today on a 2-year-old Pasadena boy found dead in his crib yesterday, county coroner's officials said this morning.

Some preliminary results could be available late this afternoon, officials said.

Police received a frantic call from the boy's mother saying the toddler was unresponsive. Paramedics rushed to the home in the 500 block of North Summit Avenue on Tuesday morning, but were unsuccessful in their attempts to revive the child, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Manuel, "Lil Monkey" Penaloza has been captured in Mexico, officials said.

Fish wrap for the afternoon:

According to LA Weekly via LAist:

By LA Weekly's count of every murder within Los Angeles city limits, we are at 168 as of yesterday when a taxi driver stabbed earlier this month died of his wounds. Compare that to last yearJuly 18th, there were 208 compared to the 162 this year as of that date. That's a 22.1% decline in murders so far. Add to that, the murder rate has declined over the last few years. The LAPD's consent decree ended last week, which in theory should let officers be more productive in some aspects, but some oppose the lifting of the decree. The ACLU contends that there are still problems within the department in regards to racial bias.

As for the SGV. There were several shootings over the weekend, none fatal. But Pasadena's homicide rate seems to be well above last year's.

PASADENA - A 17-year-old girl remained in critical condition Sunday after being shot in the head at a party, authorities said.
The shooting occurred about 10:30 p.m. Saturday at a large house party in the 500 block of Westgate Street, Pasadena police Lt. Tom Delgado said.
Few details were available about the shooting Sunday, the lieutenant said. A description of the shooter or a motive in the attack was not known.
"At this point, it's really mind-boggling to understand why someone would want to shoot a 17 year old female at this party," Delgado said. "It's very puzzling."
Authorities estimated more than 100 people were at the party when shots rang out.
The shooting occurred outdoors, Delgado said, however the victim, a Los Angeles resident, collapsed at the door of the home as she tried to get inside.
The wounded woman was not believed to have gang ties, he added.
Police had not responded to any calls at the party prior to the shooting, Delgado said.
Detectives continued gathering clues and interviewing witnesses Sunday.

PASADENA - A man was stabbed to death Thursday night, police officials said.

The stabbing occurred about 11:30 p.m.in the 700 block of North Fair Oaks Avenue, said Pasadena Lt. Keith Jones.

"All we know is that someone was stabbed multiple times, and transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead," Jones said.

Here's our updated SGV stats for 2009. Pasadena's five homicides are now the most in the San Gabriel Valley.

Location	City	Victim name	Age	Method	Date	Description
1350 Mentone Ave Pasadena, CA	Pasadena	Barnes, Leroy	38	Officer involved Shooting	Feb 19, 2009	Pasadena police fatally shot 38-year-old Leroy Barnes during a traffic stop on Feb. 19.
100 South Virginia Avenue, Pasadena, CA	Pasadena	Elinor Hill Manson	74	strangulation	Apr 2, 2009	Police say Elinor Manson, 74, was strangled by her 78-year-old ex-husband, William Manson, at the woman's home in the 100 block of South Virgina Avenue in Pasadena. Police say William Manson then tried to kill himself with an overdose of insulin.
100 South Hill Avenue, Pasadena, CA	Pasadena	James Hall	41	stabbing	Apr 20, 2009	Story"> James Hall, 41, was stabbed to death near Pasadena City College. Patrick Mason, 42, and Steven Sumner, 45, both of Pasadena, were arrested in connection with the stabbing. Story
162 N. Sierra Madre Blvd, Pasadena, CA	Pasadena	David Crosby	39	Gunshot	May 29, 2009	Story"> A man walked into the crowded Atlantis restaurant on May 29, 2009 and fatally shot 39-year-old David Crosby, of Lancaster. Story
700 N Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA	Pasadena	John Doe		Stabbing	Jul 16, 2009	A man was stabbed to death on July 16 around 11:30 p.m.in the 700 block of North Fair Oaks Avenue.

This photo comes from a reader at the scene of Wednesday's prostitution bust in East Pasadena The van was impounded after its driver was nailed by cops:

From the "Only in Pasadena" file:

PASADENA - Cornered atop a parking structure with no way out, a suspected bank robber made a desperate move Monday as officers closed in - he jumped from the roof of the five-story structure.

Seriously injured, the man was taken to a hospital, where he was in critical condition, authorities said.

Workers in the area said they heard a scream, then heard a loud thump; several said they then saw the man lying on the ground before paramedics arrived.

About an hour earlier, at about 9:16 a.m., the man held up the California National Bank, 101 N. Lake Ave., telling a clerk he had a gun, police said.

He ran out with an undisclosed amount of cash. But a person inside the bank, either an employee or a teller, ran after the man, calling 9-1-1 and providing police with a "good" description of the robber, Pasadena Police Department spokeswoman Janet Pope Givens said.

This from the PCC Courier:

Members of the PCC community are mourning the death of Darryl Stephens, a former football player at PCC who had a troubled stay on campus and died on Monday in a suspected suicide.

Stephens was found in an apartment in Upland after Upland Police responded to reports of gunshots on Sunday.

"According to Upland [Police], in their investigation, suicide was indicated," said San Bernardino County Sheriff's Sgt. Tony DeCecio.

"I cried like a baby [when I found out]," said PCC Professor Jessie Moore, who taught Stephens. "Darryl used to call me mom. He was that kind of guy. He had issues, like we all do, but was working on his issues."

According to San Bernardino County Coroner Spokeswoman Sandy Fatland, Stephens was pronounced dead at 12:13 a.m. Monday at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center after an original injury at 10:23 a.m. Sunday described as a "gun shot to the upper body."

PASADENA -- A woman who thwarted a burglary at her home by using her vehicle to block the burglars' car was shot in the side by one of the men, police said.

One man, in his 20s, was arrested. Police are still looking for a second man. And the 49-year-old woman was taken to a hospital with a non-life-threathening bullet wound, police said. The incident unfolded at about 11:30 a.m., when the woman arrived home, pulled into the driveway of her residence in the 500 block of East Ladera Street, and found a car parked in the driveway.

She was sitting inside her vehicle when two men walked out of her home carrying items of her property. The two men got into their car, an older gray sedan, and tried to drive off, but the homeowner used her vehicle to ram the back of the burglars' car, police said.

At that point, one of the men got of their car, walked up to the passenger side of the woman's vehicle and opened fire. He missed. He then went around the driver's side and fired again, hitting the woman in the side, police said.

Suspended Dodgers' slugger Manny Ramirez was spotted hanging out at Paseo Colorado Saturday night, apparently looking a little glum.

Interesting thing about his absence, Dodger pitching seems to have suffered, while the offense is still scoring.