LAPD Blog

Driver Arrested in Hit-Run, 2 Seriously Injured

  Los Angeles: Los Angeles police arrested a 19-year-old Wilmington man Wednesday afternoon who was responsible for a hit-and-run accident that left a young teen seriously injured and the other fighting for her life.

The suspect, Rigaldo Guevas, was driving a black BMW east on Pacific Coast Highway near Ronan Street shortly after 3:00 p.m., when he tried to pass a car that stopped for pedestrians inside a crosswalk.  Once Guevas passed the car, he struck two girls, 13 and 14 years of age, and fled the scene, authorities said.

Two witnesses followed Guevas and prevented him from leaving the area until police arrived.

Guevas was arrested and charged with felony hit-and-run.

The two juveniles were also from Wilmington.

Anyone with information about this traffic accident is urged to call South Traffic Detectives at 323-290-6063 from 7:00 AM -4:30 PM, M-F. After hours, call the South Traffic division at 213-485-7336.

Three Arrested for Kidnap – Police Warn Park Goers

Los Angeles. Los Angeles detectives are warning Elysian Park visitors, who frequent to the southeast portion of the park off North Broadway, to be aware of criminals who have been robbing park-goers over the last several weeks.

"We recognized the MO pretty quickly," said Lt. Paul Vernon, head of detectives downtown. "This area of the park is secluded and it has a reputation as a meeting place for sexual liaisons between strangers."

Two persons were stabbed in separate robberies starting in early March. The suspects in both cases were Hispanic men, probably gang members from the Lincoln Heights area. "We had seen this MO before: gang members were targeting victims who put themselves in a vulnerable situation," Vernon said. "The suspects gambled their victims would not call police."

Following the two incidents, detectives and vice officers staked out the park. They arrested a Hispanic gang member who was armed with a long butcher knife. "We figured he was there to rob someone, but he got spooked by one of the undercover police cars," Vernon added. The assaults and robberies stopped after this man was identified and booked on a weapons charge.

Then April 6, a 29-year-old Hispanic man reported to police that he had been kidnapped at gunpoint from the park, forced into the trunk of his car, and driven to Glendale, where the suspects abandoned the stolen car and their victim in the trunk. This time, though, the suspect was Black, not Hispanic. The victim, who speaks only Spanish, recalled several stops and hearing more than one voice.

Detectives canvassed the block of 1200 S. Brand Avenue in Glendale and found a suspicious Hispanic man had tried to cash a money order, but ran from the store when the clerk questioned the document. Detectives identified the man as Jamie Gutierrez, 20, from Los Angeles.

Thirty-two hours after the kidnapping, Gutierrez was in custody on a narcotics warrant. That arrest led detectives to Justin Daniel Cox, 27, as the second voice the victim heard after he was kidnapped. Cox is a known 18th Street gang member who lives in Glendale and is on parole for manslaughter. Glendale police officers arrested Cox on Barrington Way outside a known drug house. Los Angeles detectives arrested Cox on a warrant for the kidnapping after the victim identified Cox from photographs.

The trail next led to the primary suspect with the gun, identified as Ernest Monroe, 36, from Los Angeles. Detectives arrested him on the evening of April 8 near his father’s apartment on Monterey Road in Monterey Hills.

Detectives served a search warrant, April 9, at Cox’s home on Barrington Way and found documents belonging to the kidnap victim as well as an air pistol, which resembled a 9mm Beretta handgun.

"While these arrests should reassure the public, I still want to encourage people to avoid putting themselves in vulnerable situations where criminals might take advantage," Vernon added. "We have sent our vice and patrol officers into the park to warn persons parking there. If the friendly warning does not deter them, then we may have to take enforcement action for their own good."

Detectives released the photographs of the three men in the hopes other victims may come forward.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office filed the following charges against each suspect:

Ernest Monroe – Kidnapping, Witness Intimidation, Robbery, and Burglary
Justin Cox – Kidnapping, Witness Intimidation, and Robbery
Jaime Gutierrez – Kidnapping, Witness Intimidation, Burglary, and Forgery

Bail for Monroe and Cox was set at $1 million. Gutierrez's bail will be adjusted up once he is arraigned on the kidnapping and other charges.

Anyone with information is urged to call LAPD’s Central Robbery Unit at 213-972-1244. Persons can also call the 24-hour hotline number, 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).

Credit Card Forgers Arrested

Los Angeles: A couple was arrested for Forging credit cards.

Commercial Crimes Division detectives are conducting an investigation involving an organized ring of suspects engaged in obtaining stolen credit card information, manufacture forged credit cards and commit credit card fraud across state lines.

During the initial investigation of this case, detectives received information on one of the ringleaders, 32-year-old Robert Anaya, who was buying stolen credit card numbers and making counterfeit credit cards with the assistance of other ring members.  In addition to the Los Angeles area, the suspects went on numerous shopping trips to New York, Boston, Texas, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and most recently to San Jose.  They used forged credit cards to make purchases of various items ranging from computers and other hi-tech devices to gift cards for future use.

On April 1, 2008, detectives conducted a controlled buy in which Robert Anaya purchased credit card numbers from a police source.  Detectives served a search warrant at Anaya's residence, located in Pasadena, where they arrested Robert Anaya and his wife Sylvia Ixtlahuac, age 28.

Detectives seized a credit card embossing machine, a credit card magnetic encoder, two computers, $2,760 in cash, over 90 credit and gift cards issued under different names, and numerous access card numbers and credit profiles.  Anaya and Ixtlahuac are being held at Los Angeles County Jail on $500,000.00 bail each.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Commercial Crimes Detectives at 213-485-4131.  After hours and on weekends, call the 24-hour toll free at 1-877-LAW-FULL (1-877-529-3855)

Belmont High School Targeted with Hate-Related Vandalism and Fake Bomb

Los Angeles: On April 2, 2008, at around 6:30 a.m., school administrators arriving at Belmont High School found swastikas and other graffiti painted with blue, white and black spray paint in various campus locations. They also found a package displaying swastikas and the date of April 3, 2008.

Additional graffiti makings incorporated "MHS" and "Beware. It’s Time." Damage to school property also included 30 door-lock cylinders throughout the campus that had been glued shut.

The mysterious package, which was perceived to be a possible bomb, caused school officials to summon the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Bomb Squad. Consequently, the school was evacuated for several hours while the Bomb Squad and Los Angeles Fire Department conducted an investigation. After being unable to determine the content of the package, the Bomb Squad detonated it and discovered it contained a radio/CD player.

LAPD Rampart Area detectives determined that eight students at the school were responsible for the incident. Five of the students were juveniles and three were 18-year-old adults. The criminal investigation determined that they were apparently trying to stage a hoax in order to scare students and administrators, though it’s unclear why. Property damage was estimated to be $2,000.

Today at 10:45 a.m., the eight suspects were booked on a felony charge for planting a facsimile bomb on a school campus, along with hate crime and vandalism charges.

Woman Murdered in Vehicle Stopped at a Traffic Signal

Los Angeles: On April 10, 2008, at 12:15 a.m., Newton Area patrol officers responded to a radio call in the area of Slauson Avenue and the 110 Freeway. Upon arrival, they discovered 19-year-old Samantha Padilla seated in her vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds.

Apparently, Padilla, who was employed by a company at Los Angeles International Airport, had stopped for a traffic light when someone in a 1990-91 light-brown over dark-brown Ford Bronco pulled up beside her. The occupant then fired several shots into her vehicle, striking her several times. The motive for the shooting has not yet been determined, and reports that Padilla was driving a City of Los Angeles vehicle are false.

Padilla was transported to California Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 12:46 a.m.

Newton Area homicide detectives are handling the investigation. Anyone with information about the incident may contact the detectives at 323-846-5363. After-hours and weekend calls may be directed to a 24-hour hotline at 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).

11-Year-Old Girl Missing

UPDATE
Victim has been found and has returned to school

Los Angeles:  The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public’s help in finding Katerine Quintanilla, an 11-year-old girl who suffers from severe depression.

Quintanilla was last seen at her school (Porter Middle School in Granada Hills) on Wednesday, April 9, 2008, at 4:00 p.m.

According to police, the young girl’s teacher informed her mother that she had misbehaved and skipped a class.  When the girl’s mother showed up at the school, Quintanilla ran because she was afraid of being punished.

Quintanilla is a Latino female, stands 5 feet 3 inches tall, and weighs 110 pounds.  She has black hair, brown eyes, and scars on her left wrist.  She was last seen wearing a white shirt and black pants.

Police officers and a police helicopter methodically searched the area and was unable to locate Quintanilla.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Quintanilla is asked to contact Mission Division at 818-838-9800.  During off-hours or on weekends, call the 24-hour toll free number at 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).

Man Missing after Renting a Boat

Los Angeles: The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is asking for the public’s help in finding Daniel Balour, a man who rented a motorboat in Marina Del Rey.

On Tuesday, April 8, 2008, at around 11:45 a.m., Balour was last seen renting a motorboat from Marina Boat Rentals. He is described as a male white, 40 years old, 6 feet tall, 190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a dark windbreaker jacket and dark slacks.

Later that day at about 1:50 p.m., the unoccupied boat he rented was found drifting off shore.

A photograph is available through Media Relations Section 213-485-3586.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Balour is asked to contact LAPD’s Missing Persons Unit at 213-485-5381. After hours or weekend calls may be directed to a 24-hour toll free number at 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).

Truly a Nickel-and-Dime Dealer in Skid Row

Los Angeles.  Los Angeles detectives displayed $135,035.00 in cash and coins, which were seized from a Skid Row drug dealer last Thursday, April 3, 2008.  Detectives also found 1.5 pounds of cocaine in the man’s apartment, just one block south of the police station.

“We got a tip from a local resident that this man, Sam Flemming, was dealing drugs on Skid Row,” said narcotics detective Bert Feldtz, who leads the local narcotics unit.  “He thought he could hide in plain sight, living a block south of the police station.”

A citizen tip led Feldtz and his crew to Flemming, 50, who was living in the Volunteers of America residence, located in the 600 block of Wall Street.  The detectives watched Flemming Thursday walk from his apartment to the heart of Skid Row’s narcotics bazaar at Fifth Street and San Julian Street, just east of the police station.

Detectives watched Flemming sell his wares then moved to arrest him.  “This guy had $11,000 cash in his pocket,” Feldtz said.  “After we got a warrant and searched his apartment, we were amazed to find even more money in addition to the drugs, and so much of it in nickels, dimes and quarters.”

Detectives also released Flemming’s photograph in the hopes of more persons coming forward with information about his activities.  Flemming has eight prior felony arrests.  Lt. Paul Vernon, head of detectives downtown offered, “We hope this guy is like a cat and this will be the ninth life in his criminal life.”

Since the inception of the Safer Cities Initiative, crime dropped precipitously over the last 18 months, but property crime has edged up 24 percent since the beginning of the year, while violent crime remains down 3 percent.  “Our narcotics arrests have dropped off this year due to specialized resources being sent to other places and we’ve seen our property crimes rise, especially in Skid Row,” said Lt. Vernon.  “We are having to re-assess our strategies so we don’t lose the ground we’ve gained.  Arrests like this are very important, but it’s only one of many we could be making.”

Of all the money seized, over $6,000 in coins, and over 11,000 one-dollar bills.

Anyone with information is urged to call LAPD’s Central Narcotics Unit at 213-972-2756.  Persons can also call the 24-hour hotline number, 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).

Still photos of the drugs and money at the time of seizure are available from Media Relations Section.

LAPD's Highest-Ranking Asian American Officer is Promoted to Deputy Chief

Asian and Pacific Islander American community leaders, friends, family and colleagues joined Chief William J. Bratton and Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa on the Los Angeles Police Academy Field yesterday morning as the Department’s highest-ranking Asian American police officer, Terry S. Hara, was officially promoted to Deputy Chief.  Deputy Chief Hara is the first ever Asian Pacific Islander American in the history of the Department to achieve the rank of Deputy Chief, and will serve as Commanding Officer of Operation West Bureau. 

The prestigious and culturally rich ceremony was presided by actress Tamlyn Tomita (The Karate Kid Part II, The Joy Luck Club, 24) whose father was a former LAPD sergeant, and featured greetings by LAPD officers in the various Asian Pacific Islander languages spoken at the Department.  Police Commission President Anthony Pacheco and Commissioner John Mack were present and commended Deputy Chief Hara.  Also in attendance to congratulate Deputy Chief Hara were Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti, Councilmember Dennis Zine and Councilmember Bill Rosendahl. 

Chief Bratton stated that it was his privilege to make this promotion and he expects Deputy Chief Hara to make West Bureau the safest it has been.  Chief Bratton committed that, during his tenure, “there will be no glass ceilings left in the Department.”  He affirmed, "there will be no problem in accomplishing this as there is no shortage of extraordinary talent in the LAPD ranks.”

Deputy Chief Hara’s children proudly looked on as their mother, Gayle Hara, pinned the badge on her husband.  Deputy Chief Hara said he is proud to serve the community and is honored to be a role model to other officers in showing them they, too, have the opportunity to promote and grow.

When Deputy Chief Hara joined the Department in 1980, there were approximately 60 Asian Pacific Islander officers.  Today, there are more than 750 Asian Pacific Islander officers.  The LAPD aggressively pursues Asian Pacific Islander candidates in an effort to cultivate a Department which reflects the communities it serves.  In order to boost recruitment efforts and to showcase the Department’s Asian Pacific Islander officers, the LAPD has also partnered with the nation’s leading Asian language television station, LA 18/KSCI-TV, in providing vital public safety information to the Asian Pacific Islander community in their own native language.

Two Girls Die in Crash during Taxicab Robbery and Attempted Carjacking

Los Angeles: Hollenbeck Area homicide detectives are investigating a robbery and an attempted carjacking of a taxicab that resulted in a traffic collision and the death of two 17-year-old girls.

On Tuesday, April 8, 2008, at 12:40 a.m., a 40-year-old cab driver, Javier Hernandez, picked up two girls for fare from the area of Warbash and Fickett Streets. The girls entered the back seat and asked to be taken to Lancaster and Soto Streets.

Once near the location, one of the girls told Hernandez to continue to Medford Street and she would call her boyfriend to come out and pay the fare. At the same time, Hernandez could hear one of the girls talking on a cell phone but was unable to hear the conversation. Hernandez pulled up to 2410 East Medford Street when he saw a suspect, a male Hispanic, walking up to the driver's window. The suspect, while holding a handgun, said to the driver, "Where you from? Give me your car." The suspect then reached through the driver's window and grabbed a GPS system off the dashboard. In fear for his life, the cab driver sped away eastbound on Medford street.

While fleeing from the suspect, Hernandez noticed a car chasing him at a high rate of speed as both girls yelled for him to stop. One of the girls slashed him on the right ear and cheek area with a sharp object, but he continued driving. He then lost control of his car and it struck a metal post and concrete barrier. The collision ejected both girls from the car, killing them instantly. Hernandez was not ejected and was able to call for help.

A black Honda approached the scene of the accident and three men got out, as if looking for the girls and the cab driver. Police also arrived and detained the men for further investigation.

During the course of the investigation, detectives interviewed the occupants of the Honda and learned that one of the passengers, identified as Hector Jasso, 20, was the suspect to the initial robbery. The driver of the Honda, identified as Daniel Martinez, 21,was chasing the cab at the time of the collision. The third occupant was questioned and released. Both Jasso and Martinez were arrested for two counts of murder.

The cab driver was treated at a local hospital and released.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Hollenbeck Detectives at 323-526-3000.

On Weekends and during off-hours, calls may be directed to a toll-free number at 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).