Police Blotter 8-21-15

Thursday, August 13

If the movie Bambi made you cry, do yourself a favor and skip this item. Police received a call at 6:49 p.m. from a hiker at the Claremont Wilderness Park who reported seeing a deer limping by, an arrow lodged in its back leg. When police arrived at the scene to investigate the humane problem, the animal was gone.  

Friday, August 14

Miguel Prado-Zaragoza clearly imbibed too much barley and hops during a sudsy visit to Claremont Craft Ales in the Claremont Business Park on Claremont Boulevard. A call came in at 9:44 p.m. that the 31-year-old Pasadena resident had urinated in a trashcan outside the craft beer establishment and seemed poised to drive off on his motorcycle parked outside the brewery. Officers located Mr. Prado-Zaragoza in the parking lot and determined that he was unable to care for himself. He was arrested and held for detox.

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Claremont police were called to Walter’s at 1:30 p.m. with a report that three men were positioned outside of the restaurant trying to start a fight with employees. One of the subjects had removed his shirt and, according to the police report, “bouncers were holding him back.” Police asked the trio, who reportedly had boasted they were members of an Apple Valley gang, to leave the restaurant and not come back. As they were in no shape to drive, the über-pugnacious friends—one still shirtless and all three sporting backwards baseball caps—made for First Street and an impending Uber ride.

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Claremont police were contacted at 3:11 p.m. regarding a dispute between the staff at King Kong Sushi on Indian Hill Boulevard and some customers who were convinced they’d gotten a raw deal. It was explained that the party of three, after ordering too much food, had refused to foot the bill. While there was something decidedly fishy about the story, police advised the staff that there was little they could do, as the disagreement was a civil issue.

Saturday, August 15

A resident entered the Claremont Police Department at 9:12 a.m. to report a “bit-and-run” incident. The woman said that while she was hiking the Thompson Creek Trail, a dog attacked her dog and then knocked her down. The owner of the volatile canine fled the scene immediately afterwards.

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Police were called to the 500 block of north Towne Avenue at 9:53 a.m. after a resident discovered that her windows had been shattered by rocks. The vandalism occurred some time between 10 p.m. the previous evening and 2 a.m. that morning. A neighbor reported having recently seeing a Hispanic male “with strange eyes” around the complex, though they were unsure if the eerie visitor had any connection with the busted windows.

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There’s a fine line between making a political statement and creating a nuisance. At 11:38 a.m., Claremont police received a report that someone had crossed that line. After taping a ripped American flag to the door of Dr. Grubb’s restaurant on Bonita Avenue in the Village, a man began badgering customers. Police made contact with the man and asked him to leave. No word on whether, by the dawn’s early light, the flag was still there.

Monday, August 16

Police received a call at 11:30 a.m. that a man walking through the Village, with his trek beginning on Yale Avenue, was creating a disturbance. The mystery man, a white male in his 40s, was last seen by the new speakeasy-themed bar The Whisper House, located in the Claremont Packing House. Failing to take a cue from the establishment’s name, he was reported as being argumentative with passersby. Both the man and the bone he had to pick with the world at large were gone by the time police arrived to the scene.

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At 10:44 p.m., police received a report of a burglary in progress at Star Drugs in the Sprout’s shopping center on Foothill Boulevard. The suspect, a white male, had been seen limping toward a dark blue minivan before taking off. Police arrived to the scene to find the drug store’s windows smashed. They located the minivan shortly after and the driver consented to a vehicle check. Nicholas Matthews, a 29-year-old Montclair resident, had fresh cuts on his left wrist and shattered glass on his T-shirt. Property from the store was found in the minivan, and Mr. Matthews was arrested for the break-in as well as for an outstanding warrant.

Tuesday, August 18

Police received a call at 7:19 p.m. from an Elder Drive resident concerned about some material left at her house. Someone had posted a flyer expounding on the subject of  “America, the promised land, and why as a nation we have failed.” She felt that local law enforcement should be alerted to the presence of the pamphleteer because “obviously someone is off their rocker.”

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Living in close quarters can create tension, as evidenced by an altercation between roommates at a Doane Avenue residence. Police received a call at 1:33 a.m. regarding a battery in progress. The caller reported that her roommate, after having thrown a television at her boyfriend, was threatening to kill the couple. Police arrested 54-year-old Claremont resident Pamela Gross for making criminal threats and she was held on $50,000 bail.

Wednesday, August 19

Police were called to a residence in the 500 block of San Jose Avenue at 5:41 a.m. with a report that a vehicle had been stolen. The car in question, which went missing sometime between 3 p.m. on Tuesday and the time of the call, was a 2000 black Honda Civic that was apparently in the midst of restoration as it featured white custom rims and a paintjob described as “mostly primer.”

—Sarah Torribio

storribio@claremont-courier.com

[Editor’s note: City reporter Angela Bailey is on vacation. She will return to her duties in the next edition. —KD]