Police Blotter: November 15, 2024
by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com
Wednesday, November 6
After getting a call about an intoxicated motorist, Claremont Police Department officers pulled over a car driven by Hacienda Heights resident Gabriel Melendez Jr., 31, about 3 p.m. near Foothill Boulevard and Mills Avenue. Following field sobriety tests, he was arrested for misdemeanor driving under the influence and transported to CPD, where he was booked, held for detoxification, and later released with a citation to appear at Pomona Superior Court.
Friday, November 8
A 10:15 a.m. call regarding a transient encampment led police to the 100 block of W. San Jose Avenue. There they spoke with a 45-year-old unhoused man. After a records check revealed a misdemeanor warrant out of San Bernardino County, he was arrested, booked at CPD, and later released with a citation to appear in court.
A resident at the Colby Kai apartments, 655 Colby Circle, called police at 5 p.m. to report a man was sleeping on the main walkway at the complex. Arriving officers questioned the 28-year-old unhoused man, and a records check showed he had a misdemeanor San Bernardino County warrant, leading to his arrest. He was booked at CPD and released with a citation to appear in court.
Saturday, November 9
Police stopped Pomona resident Kelvin Woods, 54, near Foothill Boulevard and Garey Avenue at 1:15 a.m. for alleged vehicle code violations. After field sobriety tests he was arrested for misdemeanor DUI. Woods was then transported to CPD, booked, held for detoxification, and later released with a citation.
Officers with Claremont Colleges Campus Safety phoned for CPD assistance near Dartmouth Avenue and Platt Boulevard at 11:30 p.m. because two people had reportedly stolen a bike. When CPD caught up and attempted to stop the duo, they fled, sparking a chase that ended at an apartment complex in Montclair near Pradera Avenue and Bonnie Brae Street. Police caught up with one of the suspects, 25-year-old Ernesto Orellana Lopez of Ontario, whom they say fought as they attempted to detain him, injuring an officer’s hand in the process. The second suspect escaped. Lopez was arrested, charged with assaulting a police officer, a felony, and misdemeanor theft. The bicycle in question was recovered by campus safety following the arrest. Lopez was then booked at CPD and held for court. He was transported to the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles on November 11 and appeared at Pomona Superior Court November 13.
Monday, November 11
A 7 a.m. call regarding a man yelling and acting erratically took police to the intersection of Bonita and Yale avenues. Arriving officers spoke with a 34-year-old unhoused man and arrested him for being under the influence of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor. He was booked at CPD, detoxed, and later released with a citation.
On August 2, 2023, CPD officers arrived at Extra Space Storage, 775 S. Mills Ave., after someone called to report someone had stolen property. Their investigation identified Pomona resident Teresa Lopez, 36, as the suspect. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office then issued a felony burglary warrant for Lopez, which police carried out at 12:30 p.m. Monday in the 3600 block of N. Garey Avenue. She was booked at CPD and held for a November 12 appearance at Pomona Superior Court, after which she was released. She is due back in Pomona Superior Court, Department A on December 19.
Police got a 4 p.m. call regarding a suspicious person wheeling two bikes at the intersection of Yale Avenue and Seventh Street and questioned a 21-year-old unhoused man there. A records check revealed a misdemeanor Los Angeles County warrant, and he was arrested, booked at CPD, and released with a citation.
