Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 14, 2016

6

Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 14, 2016 

OPENING DAY AT SANTA ANITA PARK,

A.K.A: THE GREAT RACE PLACE

ARCADIA POLICE BLOTTER

For the period of Sunday, May 1st, through Saturday, May 
7th, the Police Department responded to 859 calls for service 
of which 135 required formal investigations. The following 
is a summary report of the major incidents handled by the 
Department during this period.

Sunday, May 1:

At approximately 4:35 p.m., officers received a license plate 
reader notification of a stolen vehicle in the area of Santa 
Anita Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. Officers located 
the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. The driver was 
contacted and found to be driving a stolen vehicle with an 
expired license, a dagger, materials for making hash oil, and 
several outstanding misdemeanor warrants. The 51-year-
old male from Montclair was arrested and transported to 
the Arcadia City Jail for booking.

 Around 7:45 p.m., an officer responded to Macy’s, 
400 South Baldwin Avenue, regarding a theft report. An 
investigation revealed the victim left her purse in a dressing 
room. When she returned to retrieve it, she noticed 
an unknown suspect had stolen her iPhone and wallet 
containing $200 cash and credit cards. No suspects were 
seen. The investigation is ongoing.

Monday, May 2:

At about 12:05 a.m., an officer responded to Albertson’s, 
298 East Live Oak Avenue, regarding a customer loitering 
near the exit of the store with $400 worth of unpaid 
groceries. An investigation revealed the 35-year-old female 
from Altadena had concealed food in her waistband. 
She was also in possession of methamphetamine. She 
was arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for 
booking. Her 53-year-old male friend from Arcadia had 
an outstanding misdemeanor warrant. He was cited and 
released at the scene.

 At approximately 1:37 p.m., officers responded to 
Westfield Santa Anita, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, 
regarding four subjects who had made numerous 
attempts to purchase items with stolen credit cards. An 
investigation revealed the suspects were in possession of 
stolen credit cards and a stolen Identification Card. A 
19-year-old male from Pomona, along with a 19-year-
old male and two 21-year-old males from Pasadena, 
were arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail 
for booking. 

Tuesday, May 3:

At about 4:38 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 1000 
block of West Huntington Drive regarding a solo vehicle 
traffic collision. The driver collided with a center median 
and reflector signs. Upon contacting the driver, the officer 
detected a strong odor of alcohol emitting from the driver. 
Through a series of tests, the officer determined the suspect 
was driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage. 
The 40-year-old male from Pasadena was arrested and 
transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.

 Around 6:30 p.m., an officer responded to Westfield 
Santa Anita, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, regarding a 
stolen vehicle report. An investigation revealed, the victim 
parked and locked his vehicle before entering the shopping 
mall. He returned an hour later to find his vehicle missing. 
No suspects were seen and no witnesses were located. The 
investigation is ongoing. 

Wednesday, May 4:

Just after 08:51a.m., an officer initiated a traffic stop near 
the intersection of Huntington Drive and Centennial Way 
for expired registration. Upon contacting the 25-year-
old female driver from Pomona, the officer determined 
she was driving without a license, in possession of 
methamphetamine and had an outstanding warrant for 
her arrest. Her passenger, a 20-year-old female from 
Rosemead, was in possession of marijuana and a meth 
pipe. Both females were cited and released in the field. The 
vehicle was impounded for 30 days.

 At about 5:02 p.m., an officer responded to the area 
of Second Avenue and El Dorado Street regarding a 
suspicious occupied vehicle. An investigation revealed a 
male subject reclined in the driver’s seat was in possession 
of methamphetamine and a meth pipe. He also had an 
outstanding warrant for his arrest. The 28-year-old male 
from Los Angeles was arrested and transported to the 
Arcadia City Jail for booking.

Thursday, May 5: 

At about 7:02 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the Arcadia 
Supermarket, 627 West Duarte Road, regarding a theft of 
a purse. An investigation revealed the victim was seated in 
her parked vehicle when an unknown male suspect exited 
his vehicle, opened the victim’s unlocked passenger side 
door, and removed her purse from the passenger seat. He 
entered his vehicle and fled the scene. The investigation is 
ongoing.

 The suspect is described as a male, approximately 
30-years-old, 5’10” and heavy set. 

 The suspect vehicle is described as a dark colored sedan.

 Just after 8:24 p.m., an officer responded to the Arcadia 
County Park, 405 South Santa Anita Avenue, regarding a 
battery that had just occurred. An investigation revealed, 
the female victim was walking westbound on the sidewalk 
and the suspect was walking eastbound. As they crossed 
paths, the suspect punched the victim in the face. The 
suspect was contacted and found to be in possession 
of methamphetamine and marijuana. The 40-year-old 
female from Monrovia was arrested and transported to the 
Arcadia City Jail for booking.

Friday, May 6:

At approximately 4:45 p.m., an officer responded to 
GNC, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, regarding a theft. An 
investigation revealed a male suspect was seen concealing 
a cleansing product in his pants. When confronted, 
the suspect exited the store without paying for the 
merchandise. The investigation is ongoing.

 The suspect is described as male, approximately 
30-years-old, 5’10” and160 pounds.

 At about 7:21 p.m., an officer responded to the Church 
of Latter Day Saints, 614 West Foothill Boulevard, 
regarding an auto burglary report. An investigation 
revealed, the victim returned to her vehicle to find the 
front passenger side window had been smashed and her 
purse had been stolen from the floor board. Shortly after, 
the victim received notice that her credit cards had been 
used at stores located inside the Santa Anita Mall and at 
a nearby gas station. The investigation is ongoing.

Saturday, May 7:

Just after 4:04 p.m., an officer responded to Macy’s, 400 
South Baldwin Avenue, regarding a petty theft report. 
Loss prevention specialist witnessed the suspect conceal 
numerous items in her purse before exiting the store, 
failing to make payment. The 61-year-old female from 
Arcadia was cited and released in the field.

 At approximately 4:30 p.m., an officer was dispatched 
to O’Reilly Auto Parts, 37 Las Tunas Drive, regarding a 
broken window. An investigation revealed, an unknown 
suspect or suspects smashed the front window with a 
large rock, gained entrance and stole approximately 
$3000 worth of merchandise. The investigation is 
ongoing. 


By Joan Schmidt

 On Thursday, May 5, Santa Anita Park opened 
for another great Meet which runs through 
Sunday, July 10, 2016.

 Opening Day had cloudy skies, but there 
were many happy faces and enthusiasm among 
attendees. Jockey Santiago Gonzalez returned to 
the track after a six-week recovery from a non-
displaced broken jaw and injured right knee. 
During his recovery, he worked with a personal 
trainer at the gym, hiking mountains, and even 
mountain bike riding! What amazes me is the 
fantastic physical shape these guys have to be 
in. They return from really serious injuries like 
Rafael Bejarano and Flavien Pratt and quickly 
resume their winning ways.

 There always is someone interesting to meet 
or see and two occurred Opening Day! Johnny 
Giovotella from the L.A. Angels stopped by to 
wish Joe Talamo “good luck” and catch a few 
races. With him was his special gal, Alex.

 After Bejarano won on Evo Campo in the 2nd 
race, I rushed to Winners’ Circle for photos. There 
was such a large group-part of Hotel Constance” 
that I zoomed in on Bejarano and the winning 
horse. (Big regrets later) When I walked away, 
I heard, “Mrs. Schmidt”. My former student 
Jan-Michael Macatangay was part of the Hotel 
Entourage and gave me an update on himself, 
his parents and wonderful siblings I taught many 
years ago at Annunciation! It was AWESOME!

 Whenever you come to Santa Anita, something 
interesting is bound to happen. There are so 
many great events and giveaways. We have 
FOUR new dining chairs! (On Dec. 21, Mathis 
Brothers gave $100 gift certificates to first 20,000 
attendees and ours went towards the chairs!) 
We have received calendars, shirts, blankets and 
posters! Even if there isn’t a giveaway, there is the 
GREAT Gift Shop which has many interesting 
items and unique gifts! 

 During this Meet, Weekday General 
Admission and General Parking on Thursdays 
and Fridays are FREE! Gates open at 11:00 a.m. 
and the First Post is at 2:00 p.m.

 Weekend Admission: General Admission is 
$5, Club House Admission is $10 and there is 
Free Admission to the Infield. (This is a great 
place for families-many bring their kids and 
picnic lunch and have a great time watching the 
horses.) Gates open at 11:00 a.m. and First Post 
is at 2:00 p.m.

 Kids 17 and under are admitted FREE with 
their parents

 There are so many great events planned 
during this Meet. On Preakness Day, May 
21, gates open at 7:15 a.m. and First Post is at 
12:00 noon. Some other highlights include Taco 
Fiesta, Saturday, May 14; CAL-HOT RODS CAR 
SHOW, Sunday, May 22; Santa Anita Carnival, 
Memorial Weekend, May 28-30; Gold Rush Beer 
Fest, Saturday, May 28; and Holiday Dollar Day, 
May 30.

 

 PLEASE VISIT www.santaanita.com or call 
(626) 574-7223 for more info. See you there!


MONROVIA POLICE BLOTTER

COMMUNITY MEMBERS INVITED TO ATTEND A 
CITYWIDE NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING JUNE 8

Following are the weekend’s highlighted issues and 
events. To see a complete listing of crimes reported, 
go to the City of Monrovia website and click on the 
crime mapping link. Sign up to follow us on Twitter 
for police notifications. 

Suspicious Vehicle / Warrant – Suspect Arrested 
May 5 at 3:16 p.m., an officer saw a suspicious 
vehicle traveling down Madison. The vehicle kept 
stopping and starting for no apparent reason, then 
pulled into the driveway of an apartment building 
in the 200 block of S. Madison and stopped. The 
vehicle was occupied by a female adult driver and 
male adult passenger. A resident of the property 
saw them and told the officer that the occupants did 
not belong on the property. The officer contacted 
the subjects to find out what they were doing at the 
location. A computer check of the subjects revealed 
the female driver had a $30,000 warrant for her 
arrest out of Pasadena. She was arrested and taken 
into custody. The male subject was identified and 
released. The subjects had no valid reason for being 
on the property. 

Vehicle Burglary May 5 at 11:19 p.m., a vehicle 
burglary was reported in the 500 block of W. 
Huntington Drive. The victim parked and locked 
her vehicle in a business parking lot at 3:00 p.m. She 
returned to her vehicle at 11:19 p.m. and saw that her 
passenger window was smashed and her backpack 
had been stolen. The investigation is continuing. 

Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance 
– Suspect Arrested May 6 at 1:00 p.m., an officer 
was dispatched to a welfare check on an adult male 
who was lying face down in the grass at the corner 
of Primrose and Chestnut. When the officer arrived, 
he contacted the subject, who appeared to be under 
the influence of a controlled substance. The officer 
conducted a drug evaluation and determined the 
suspect was under the influence of heroin. The 
suspect was arrested and taken into custody, where 
he was held for sobering. 

Shoplifting May 6 at 6:43 p.m., a business in the 
500 block of W. Huntington called police to report a 
shoplifter. Officers responded to the location to look 
for a male suspect who removed a pair of speakers 
from the store without paying. The loss prevention 
agent followed the suspect out of the store to 
Mayflower Avenue, where the suspect fled on a 
white, mountain bike. The officers conducted an 
area search, but were not able to locate the suspect. 
The investigation is continuing. 

Shoplifting May 6 at 11:18 p.m., a shoplifter 
was reported at a business in the 1600 block of S. 
Mountain Avenue. A male suspect pushed a cart 
with tools in it through the garden center and out the 
emergency exit doors without paying. The suspect 
was not located and the investigation is continuing. 

Theft from a Vehicle May 7 in the early 
afternoon, four thefts from vehicles were 
reported to police. All four vehicles had been 
left unlocked. The thefts occurred in the 500 
and 600 blocks of Terrado. The vehicles were 
ransacked and miscellaneous items were stolen. 
The investigations are continuing. 

Shoplifting – Suspect Arrested May 7 at 10:40 
a.m., officers responded to a business in the 1600 
block of South Mountain regarding a suspect who 
was detained by loss prevention personnel for 
shoplifting. The suspect used a receipt he found in 
the parking lot to return items that he selected in 
the store that he had not purchased. The suspect was 
arrested and taken into custody. 

Possession of Drug Paraphernalia / Warrant – 
Suspect Arrested May 7 at 8:35 p.m., officers noticed 
a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot in the 700 block 
of W. Huntington Drive that was occupied by a 
male adult. An officer contacted the subject and a 
computer check revealed multiple outstanding 
warrants for his arrest. Drug paraphernalia was 
found in the vehicle prior to it being towed from the 
scene. The suspect was arrested and later released 
with citations to appear in court. 

Shoplifting May 8 at 7:37 a.m., an officer was 
dispatched to a business in the 1600 block of S. 
Mountain regarding the theft tools from a business. 
The suspect entered the store and selected an 
expensive saw. While the suspect was standing in 
the register isle, he was talking on his cell phone and 
holding the saw. The suspect abruptly ran from the 
register line through the front doors to an awaiting 
vehicle, which had a second suspect driving. As the 
suspect was running from the store, he dropped his 
cell phone and a fixed blade knife. Employees were 
able to get the license plate of the suspect vehicle and 
the investigation is continuing. 

Domestic Violence May 8 at 2:32 p.m., a female 
subject came to the police station to report she was the 
victim of domestic violence. She said she went to visit 
her husband and mother-in-law at their residence in 
the 800 block of W. Walnut. The husband snuck out 
the back of the residence and went to drink with his 
friends. The wife located the husband and walked 
him back to the apartment. During an argument 
over his drinking alcohol, the husband punched 
the wife in the mouth and scratched her neck. 
Further investigation revealed there is an emergency 
protection order from prior domestic violence. The 
husband left the apartment prior to police arrival. 
The investigation is continuing. 

DUARTE, CA, May 9, 2016 – Interested in learning 
more about public safety and recent criminal 
activity? The community is invited to a citywide 
Neighborhood Watch meeting on June 8, 2016 
at 6:30 p.m. in the Duarte Community Center at 
1600 Huntington Drive. Sergeant Tony Haynes, 
from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, 
and Brian Villalobos, Director of Public Safety will 
present updates on recent criminal activity, recently 
upgraded Sheriff patrol and other proactive steps 
community members may take to address public 
safety concerns. Refreshments will be served.

 The mission of the Duarte Public Safety 
department is to protect and enhance the quality 
of life in the Duarte community through a 
comprehensive program of services in both 
code and law enforcement. Through prevention, 
intervention, and suppression the department 
promotes individual responsibility and community 
commitment. Neighborhood Watch is a crime 
prevention program that requires the active 
participation of residents in cooperation with law 
enforcement to reduce crime in the City of Duarte. 
The City currently has over 150 active block captains 
and co-block captains. 

 For additional information about Neighborhood 
Watch or the citywide meeting, please contact Aida 
Torres at (626) 359-5671 ext. 316 or via email at 
a2torres@lasd.org 

About the City of Duarte

The City of Duarte was incorporated on August 
22, 1957. With integrity and transparency, the City 
provides exemplary public services in a caring and 
fiscally responsible manner with a commitment to 
our community’s future. For more information visit 
www.accessduarte.com or call (626) 357-7931. 
Follow the City of Duarte on Facebook at facebook.
com/duartecommunity; Twitter @CityofDuarte; 
Instagram @city_of_duarte and LinkedIn.