Police Blotter: February 18, 2022
by Mick Rhodes | mickrhodes@claremont-courier.com
Tuesday, February 8
A 25-year-old unhoused man riding a bicycle while guiding a second one with his free hand was pulled over by Claremont police at 11:54 p.m. after they allege he was heading the wrong way on the east side of Indian Hill Blvd. near the 10 freeway. Police say the man failed to yield for them when requested, so they followed him south to San Bernardino Ave., in Pomona, where he finally came to a stop. Police say the man admitted to have earlier stolen both bicycles he was piloting from outside Rhino Records in Claremont, and a search allegedly turned up a “fixed knife” in his right front pocket. He was arrested on three misdemeanor counts of carrying a concealed “dirk or dagger,” resisting arrest, and petty theft. He was then transported to CPD headquarters, booked, and released with a citation to appear in Pomona Superior Court.
Friday, February 11
A 28-year-old Claremont man who caused minor facial injuries to a female CPD officer by throwing an energy drink can at her while he was high on methamphetamine on February 4 was arrested again as he was discharged from a mental health facility. He had been detained at the time of the February 4 incident, but police say he suffered some sort of mental health issue during booking and was subsequently transported to the Covina psychiatric facility. The man was charged at the time of his discharge with one felony count of assault on a police officer, and two misdemeanors of being under the influence of a controlled substance and providing false identification to a police officer. He was then transported to the Claremont jail, where was held before appearing for his arraignment in Pomona Court on February 15.
Twenty-eight-year-old Claremont resident Bronson White, who allegedly assaulted police with his car by driving it toward them and then led them on a high-speed chase, was arrested and charged with two felonies after evading police for several hours. The incident began with a 9:35 a.m. call regarding a suspicious tan 2004 Honda Accord parked along the 900 block of W. Arrow Hwy. Arriving officers found the Honda, allegedly piloted by White, as it was pulling away swiftly. They say White then made an abrupt U-turn and drove the Honda toward the squad car before fleeing at a high rate of speed heading north on Sycamore Ave. They gave chase onto westbound Arrow Hwy., but called it off due to safety concerns. At 2:45 p.m., CPD officers found the Honda parked in front of a home in the 600 block of Carleton Ave., and knocked on the front door. The homeowner allegedly told police he was an acquaintance of White’s, that he was indeed there, and allowed them inside. Officers say they then ordered White out of a front bedroom, but he did not comply, instead barricading himself in a closet. A brief negotiation then followed, they said, before White emerged and was arrested without further incident. He was charged with assault on a police officer and evading arrest, both felonies, booked, and spent a few days in the Claremont jail before his February 15 arraignment in Pomona court.
Sunday, February 13
It took four squad cars, five CPD officers and a supervisor to prevent yet another volatile, violent situation at the Knight’s Inn, 721 S. Indian Hill Blvd., from erupting into something deadly. It began with an 11 a.m. call regarding a woman screaming in one of the motel rooms. Arriving officers went to the door of the room in question and knocked. Inside they found the apparent source of the screams, a 31-year-old Victorville woman who had allegedly been beaten by a 30-year-old unhoused man in the room. The alleged assailant immediately bolted out the back sliding glass door, but officers were there to arrest him. Inside the motel room police say they found a loaded black semiautomatic Polymer 80 9mm handgun within arm’s reach of where the alleged assailant had been standing. The gun, which police say belonged to the alleged assailant, had no serial number. On the bed nearby was a high capacity magazine loaded with 37 rounds, police said. The alleged assailant was charged with domestic violence, being a felon in possession of a handgun, both felonies, and for an outstanding felony parole violation warrant and a handful of other arrest warrants. A search then allegedly turned up methamphetamine, and he was charged with misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance to boot. The woman who answered the motel room door (who was not the woman who had allegedly been beaten), Monica Rodriguez, 31, from Pomona, also had multiple warrants out for her arrest, and was also taken into custody. A fourth person in the room, 33-year-old Chino Hills resident Peter Gomez, allegedly had methamphetamine on him, and he, too, was arrested on a misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance charge. The trio were all transported to CPD headquarters, where Gomez was released with a citation to appear in court; Rodriguez was held until appearing for her Valentine’s Day arraignment in Pomona Superior Court; and the unhoused man and alleged assailant of the Victorville woman was jailed in front of his February 15 arraignment.
