Police blotter 10-24-14

Wednesday, October 15

A call about a possible vehicle theft resulted in the arrest of six people, but it had nothing to do with a stolen car. Amanda Maxwell, 34, had called police around 1 a.m., indicating that her car had been stolen from the parking lot at Hotel Claremont. When officers arrived and located the parked vehicle in the lot, they questioned Ms. Maxwell who admitted she’d smoked methamphetamine earlier in the day. She told officers that her driver’s license and keys were in another room, which resulted in the arrest of five others for various outstanding warrants and/or possession of a controlled substance. The Pomona resident was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance and later released on $2,500 bail.

Thursday, October 16

Preschool drop-off turned into a case of whodunnit after a mom’s purse was stolen from inside her vehicle. The mother of three parked her green minivan in front of Prestige Preschool Academy on Base Line Road around 8 a.m. and entered the building to sign-in the kids. In all the morning chaos, she left her black leather Coach purse on the floorboard behind the driver’s seat of the unlocked mom-mobile. During that time, an unknown suspect swiped the bag and made off undetected with the goods. The purse, which included a red leather wallet, Samsung phone, DEA card and a blank prescription pad, were taken and have yet to be recovered.

Friday, October 17

A game of hide-and-seek didn’t really work out for a Baldwin Park man who crashed his car and was later arrested for driving under the influence. Around 11:30 p.m., a 911 caller advised police that a traffic collision had occurred on Mountain and Via Santa Catarina. According to Lt. Mike Ciszek, officers responded to the scene and discovered the abandoned vehicle and saw two suspects running south on Mountain Avenue, away from the crash. Eusebio Vicente of El Monte was found hiding in the front yard of a residence. The 24-year-old passenger in the vehicle was quick to give up his pal, 33-year-old Santos Garcia, as the driver of the vehicle. Mr. Garcia was located a few minutes later, hiding inside a black city of Claremont trashcan and talking on his cell phone. He identified himself as the driver and police determined he was DUI. Both were arrested.

Saturday, October 18

A man sitting in his vehicle on a popular Claremont street was carjacked at gunpoint. The victim had pulled off the 210 Freeway around 6 a.m. to use his cell phone and parked on Scripps and Towne Avenue. Moments later, a suspect in a newer, black sedan approached the victim’s car on the driver’s side and asked to use his phone. When the victim refused, the suspect showed a black semi-automatic pistol and ordered the victim to give up his property and vehicle while a second suspect stood on the passenger side. Fearful he’d be harmed if he didn’t comply, the victim gave up his property and exited his 1998 Toyota 4Runner. Both cars drove off, eastbound on Scripps and out of sight. La Verne and Pomona both had similar armed robberies with similar subject descriptions about 15 minutes prior to the Claremont carjacking. The stolen vehicle was later recovered on Garey Avenue in Pomona, after colliding with a tree and a cinderblock wall.

Sunday, October 19

A Claremont man got phone-jacked while walking down the street on the 100 block of west San Jose. Around 2 a.m., the victim was approached by two men demanding his phone, and was then shoved to the ground. The suspects stole the phone from his hand and fled the scene in a vehicle driven by a third suspect. The 33-year-old man sustained lacerations to his hand and knee during the struggle. La Verne police later located the suspects in a carjacking in their city and one of the suspects was in possession of the victim’s phone.

Monday, October 20

It was a case of the Monday Blues for two Claremont High School students who had separate run-ins with law enforcement and were cited as a consequence of their actions. Around 1:30 p.m., a 15-year-old boy was arrested following a lunchtime confrontation with another student after punching him twice in the face. He was brought to the police station where he was cited and released to the custody of his parents. A couple of hours later, a 16-year-old was called to the school office with the suspicion he may have been in possession of a weapon. However, the teenager was searched and officers instead discovered a set of CHS keys that were reported lost on September 30. Further investigation by police revealed the suspect was misappropriating lost property and cited. Under California Penal Code Section 485, it is illegal to take lost property when you have knowledge of the identity of the true owner.

—Angela Bailey

news@claremont-courier.com