Police Blotter: December 10, 2021
by Mick Rhodes | mickrhodes@claremont-courier.com
Tuesday, November 30
Claremont police say a 48-year-old unhoused woman accused of defecating at the Metrolink station attempted to stab one of their officers with a pair of scissors during questioning. It began when police responded to a 3:20 p.m. call from a witness who said a woman was defecating at the station, located at 200 W. First St. Officers arrived and found a woman who matched the description, and, after speaking with her, determined she was “gravely disabled.” They then attempted to detain her in order to try and get her some help. That’s when police say she took out a pair of scissors and tried to stab one of the officers. The response, as one might imagine, was immediate. Police used a taser to immobilize her, and she was handcuffed. Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics then arrived and transferred her to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. The woman ended up on a psychiatric hold until Tuesday, December 7. Claremont police were waiting for her when she was released, charging her with one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer. She was booked and held in the Claremont jail before appearing Thursday December 9 for her arraignment in Pomona Superior Court.
Claremont’s hardworking license plate reading camera brigade was at it again this week, spotting a black 2000 Chevy Silverado pickup that had earlier been reported stolen out of Pomona. At 8:39 p.m., CPD officers located the hot car and followed it into Pomona, pulling it over at Foothill Blvd. and Falcon St. They suspected the driver, Francisco Trinidad, 29, from Pomona, was under the influence of methamphetamine, and placed him under arrest. A search of the car allegedly turned up a loaded Hungarian-made FEG PA-63 semiautomatic handgun on the front middle floorboard, as well as methamphetamine and a meth pipe. All told, Trinidad was charged with four felonies: car theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon, and possession of a firearm while under the influence of drugs. He also picked up four misdemeanor charges of DUI, possession of burglary tools, possession of narcotics and possession of drug paraphernalia. Trinidad’s passenger, 23-year-old Pomonan Kevin Lopez, was arrested for two outstanding misdemeanor warrants out of San Bernardino County, booked and released with a citation to appear in court. Trinidad was booked and held for detoxification, then released with a ticket for his arraignment in Pomona court.
Steven Fuller, 28, from Claremont was arrested for felony DUI after police said they smelled alcohol on his breath following a 9:28 p.m. three-car collision near Base Line Road and Mills Ave. that sent a 73-year-old Upland man to the hospital. Police say Fuller refused to submit to a field sobriety test at the scene, but they were able to obtain a blood sample. He was booked and released pending the results from the lab as to his blood alcohol level. The third car in the crash was damaged, but the driver apparently did not sustain any injuries. Police did not know the extent of the Upland man’s injuries, but said they were not life-threatening.
Thursday, December 2
Police are investigating a terrifying home invasion robbery that left a 74-year-old Claremont man shaken but uninjured after being assaulted by one of three masked thieves. Police say three unknown suspects wearing dark masks and clothing smashed a rear glass sliding door of a home in the 2200 block of Edinboro Dr. at 10:15 p.m. The homeowner, who had been asleep on the living room couch, was awakened by one of the men grabbing him around the neck and shaking him violently as the two other robbers searched the house for valuables. The trio then fled with a bag containing miscellaneous items that police did not identify, taking off westbound on Edinboro in a dark sedan. An investigation is ongoing, but police say they need help. Detectives are asking anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area around the time of the break-in, or may have seen a dark sedan traveling to or from the home on Edinboro, to please contact them at (909) 399-5411.
Friday, December 3
Another car was stolen, this one a dark grey 2019 Ford F150 pickup, from an apartment complex in the 700 block of west San Jose Ave. sometime between 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2 and 8:18 a.m. Friday Dec. 3. Police have no suspects. If you have any pertinent info, please call them at (909) 399-5411.
A 36-year-old Ontario man, Steven Cazares, was in jail Friday after leading Claremont police on a chase that reached speeds up to 120 miles per hour the day prior. At 9:47 a.m. Thursday, December 2, cops attempted to pull over a silver 2004 Mitsubishi for expired registration tags near Indian Hill Blvd. and San Jose Ave. Police say Cazares fled, entering the 10 freeway westbound. They gave chase, but after speeds got too dangerous, called off the pursuit. The next day an investigation led Claremont police to a home in Ontario, where undercover officers staked out the location. At 12:30 p.m. they saw Cazares emerge from the home, get into another car and drive away. Police were then able to pull Cazares over, this time without incident. He was arrested on a felony count of evading a police officer, transported to Claremont and booked. He was held in lieu of $75,000 bail until his Tuesday, December 7 arraignment in Pomona Superior Court.
Saturday, December 4
A foursome of alleged thieves were arrested on burglary and conspiracy charges after police say they unsuccessfully tried to rob a home in the 300 block of Armstrong Dr. The resident, who was not home, called Claremont PD at 8:05 p.m. after receiving a movement alert on her phone from a surveillance camera showing people in her backyard. Police responded within minutes and saw a Nissan SUV with four occupants leaving the area. They pulled it over and allegedly discovered a host of burglary tools inside. After finding pry marks around the windows at the home on Armstrong, they arrested the odd quartet: Elias Calquin Fernandez, 20, from Long Beach; Agustin Vergara Ramirez, 19, from Los Angeles; Stefano Bombelli, 34, from Carson; and 64-year-old Luis Rojas Gamonal, also from Long Beach. Each man was charged with felony attempted burglary and misdemeanor conspiracy, which they earned due to the size of the group. They were all booked and released with citations to appear in Pomona court.
Sunday, December 5
In a Blotter first, two unrelated drivers who crashed into one another are both suspected of driving under the influence after colliding at 10:35 p.m. near Base Line Road and Wiley Ct. Claremont resident Shayne Bigelow, 60, was arrested for felony DUI after police say he crashed his red 2018 Toyota into a grey 2019 Honda piloted by 29-year-old Robert Balcorta, also of Claremont. Balcorta was transported to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center with unknown injuries, which police said were not life-threatening. Bigelow refused treatment at the scene, where he was given a field sobriety test, which he allegedly failed. He was booked and spent some time in the Claremont jail before being released with a citation to appear in Pomona court. Police took a chemical sample from Balcorta, and are waiting the results of the toxicology report before charging him. They say they have reason to believe he was impaired at the time of the crash.
Monday, December 6
Claremont’s crime-busting cameras alerted police a blue 2001 Mini Cooper, reported stolen earlier by the L.A. County Sheriff’s Dept.’s Century office, had entered city limits. Cops located the Mini parked in front of an apartment complex at 750 W. San Jose Ave. at 10:53 p.m., and attempted to detain the occupants. But the driver, L.A. resident Julio Molina, 33, allegedly gunned it and sped away, heading east on San Jose. The chase didn’t last long, as the diminutive sub-compact hit a big dip in the road at Indian Hill Blvd., damaging it to the point of inoperability, police said. While it was drifting to a stop on San Jose, cops say they saw Molina switch seats with his passenger, 18-year-old Jazmine Medina. If true, it was an unlucky move for the youngster, who, along with Molina, was charged with three felonies: evading police, car theft, and possession of a stolen car.
