Police blotter 11-27-20

Wednesday, November 18

An employee at the Motel 6, at 840 S. Indian Hill Blvd., called the Claremont Police Department at 7:30 a.m. regarding a 24-year-old woman who was crying in lobby. Police arrived and talked to the distraught woman, who told them her boyfriend assaulted her. They located the suspect, a 19-year-old from Carson, in the parking lot attempting to flee. They arrested him for felony assault on a spouse or cohabitant, booked him, and held him in the Claremont jail before his arraignment.

Police arrived at the Claremont Lodge, 736 S. Indian Hill Blvd., at 8:30 a.m. after a confidential source alerted them to a man in one of the rooms who was brandishing a firearm on Facebook Live. They found the man doing the alleged internet broadcasting, Michael Madden, 31, from Rancho Cucamonga, who at first gave them a false name. Once that was straightened out, cops found Mr. Madden had two warrants out for his arrest out of San Bernardino County, one a felony, the other a misdemeanor. They also determined the firearm in question was in fact a pellet gun. He wasn’t cited for the legal weapon, but he was arrested on for the warrants and transferred to the West Valley Detention Center in Fontana to face those San Bernardino County charges.

Claremont detectives picked up a 59-year-old Arcadia man at 11:32 a.m. on a two-year-old felony warrant for making criminal threats with the intent to terrorize. It was unclear how or why they were alerted that Timothy Thornton, 59, was at home at 1428 Fourth St., Arcadia, and that they should head out there to pick him up on the 2018 Claremont felony warrant. It could have been he’d violated his parole, or missed a court date, CPD said. Mr. Thornton was arrested without incident, booked, and held for court.

Cops were called to Wine and Liquor Market, 750 S. Indian Hill Blvd., at 1:40 p.m. regarding a man who appeared to be setting up an encampment. They arrived and questioned Pomona resident Phillip Borunda, 38, and discovered an outstanding felony warrant. Mr. Borunda was arrested, booked and later transferred to Los Angeles County Inmate Reception Center in Downtown LA, where he was held for court.

Thursday, November 19

A resident in the 600 block of Huron Place called CPD at 8:02 p.m. after noticing a suspicious person parked in a Jeep. Police arrived and questioned a 42-year-old Pomona woman,

Mayra Fabela. A records check revealed a felony arrest warrant for an insurance fraud charge. She was arrested, booked, and released with a citation to appear in Pomona court.

Friday, November 20

Claremont police on patrol at 10:41 p.m. at the Knight’s Inn, 721 S. Indian Hill Blvd., ran the  license plate of a 2004 GMC Yukon parked in the parking lot. It had been reported stolen, so they approached the driver, Maria Calderon, 33, from Rancho Santa Margarita. It turned out Ms. Calderon was not only arrested for felony grand theft auto and felony possession of a stolen car, she also had multiple warrants, at least one of them a felony, out of Orange County. She was booked and cited for the two new felony car theft charges, then transferred to an Orange County jail to answer for the warrants.  

Sunday, November 22

A short but wild car chase ended abruptly at 10:46 a.m. when a 39-year-old Claremont man crashed his vehicle into a tree, revealing an assortment of drugs and a loaded handgun. It began when CPD officers attempted to pull over a suspicious car near Indian Hill Blvd. and Bonita Ave. Police say the driver, Marcos Elizade, instead took off southbound on Indian Hill and then turned left on Arrow Hwy., reaching speeds of up to 60 miles-per-hour before crashing into a tree in front of  LA West Liquors in the 300 block of Arrow Hwy. Cops detained both Mr. Martinez and his passenger, Erica Lopez, 36. A search of the car allegedly turned up the loaded .380 pistol, and enough methamphetamine, heroin and the prescription benzodiazepine sedative Xanax to lead officers to believe the drugs were for sale. They were both arrested on two felony counts of possession of a firearm with narcotics involved, and possession of a loaded firearm, and one misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia, a meth pipe. Mr. Martinez was also charged with eluding arrest, for the car chase, as well as a probation violation for a previous conviction. Since neither suspect would say who the handgun belonged to, police took DNA swabs from both of them, and from the handgun. They’re awaiting test results to determine the gun’s owner.

Claremont cops received an alert regarding a stolen Cadillac Escalade seen in the area. At 10:21 p.m. they located the unoccupied Caddy in the parking lot of the Knight’s Inn, 721 S. Indian Hill Blvd. A review of motel security footage allegedly showed three suspects getting out of the hot SUV and entering a room. Police then moved to arrest the trio. A knock at the front door sent the three scrambling out the back, but cops were waiting there as well, and arrested them without incident. Andrew Hernandez, 18, from La Verne was charged with two felonies: grand theft auto and possession of a stolen vehicle; Ontario resident Rebecca Rosales, 28, was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, a felony; and Savannah Martinez, 25, from Pomona, was picked up for an outstanding warrant. Ms. Rosales spent two days in the Claremont jail before appearing in Pomona court November 24 on the felony firearm violation.

Monday, November 23

Claremont police received another stolen car alert, this one in the Indian Hill Blvd. and San Jose Ave. area. At 12:48 a.m. they saw the black 2017 Lexus, once again parked at the nearby Knight’s Inn, 721 S. Indian Hill Blvd. They determined they were looking for two suspects, then located Marco Sanchez-Ramirez, 21, from Baldwin Park, and a 28-year-old homeless man, inside one of the motel rooms, and placed them under arrest. The man cops say was the driver of the stolen Lexus, Mr. Sanchez-Ramirez, was charged with two felonies: grand theft auto and possession of a stolen car. A records check turned up a felony warrant out of Orange County, so after booking and being issued a citation to appear on the felony car theft charges, he was transferred to an Orange County jail to answer for the warrant. The homeless man was also arrested, but was released without being charged.