Police blotter 10.13.12

Thursday, October 4

A Claremont man, believed to have been involved in a recent City of Industry shooting, was tracked down by Claremont police Thursday evening and placed behind bars. Police spotted 25-year-old Richard Tovalin driving near Auto Center Drive and Indian Hill Boulevard and followed him onto the westbound 10 freeway. Police stayed a safe distance behind until backup arrived. Mr. Tovalin was detained near the Sunset Crossing exit on the 57 freeway in Diamond Bar and turned over to the LA County Sheriff’s Department.

Sunday, October 7

A 22-year-old Fontana resident threw his girlfriend’s phone out the window in an attempt to keep police off his case but it only made matters worse. The man was driving with his girlfriend down the 210 freeway when the couple began to argue. The fight escalated as they exited the freeway at Base Line Road. The victim claims her boyfriend physically assaulted her and alleges that when she threatened to call the police, he threw her phone out the window and shoved her out of the car before fleeing. With assistance from Fontana police, the man was located at his house and arrested for spousal abuse and for damaging a phone to stop contact to the police department.

Monday, October 8

A wanted man found in a parked car with a loaded handgun Monday morning claimed he was a federal agent. Unfortunately for him, Halloween is still weeks away and loaded firearms are not typically accepted as part of a costume. Chester Howard, 32, of Pomona did not have proper identification and police could not find evidence to support his claim. The gun was confiscated and Mr. Howard was arrested for possession of the loaded weapon and 2 outstanding warrants for battery to a spouse.

Mr. Howard’s friend Jose Chavez, 29, was also found in the car and in possession of an object of interest to police: a cut GPS ankle monitor. Mr. Chavez, a parolee at large with a warrant for a parole violation, had cut the monitor off his leg. Mr. Chavez joined his friend behind bars.

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A 21-year-old Claremont bicyclist refused treatment after colliding with a parked vehicle in the 100 block of College Ave. The impact ejected the man from his bike and had enough force to shatter the back window of the car and cause damage to the taillight and bumper. The bicyclist sustained abrasions to his hands and face, but insisted he was fine.

Tuesday, October 9

Three cars were targeted in a burglary spree Tuesday evening in the parking lot of El Roble Intermediate School. All 3 break-ins occurred between 6:45 and 7:25 p.m. The burglar was consistent in each case, entering the locked vehicles by smashing a rear passenger window. Among stolen items estimated at more than $1000 were 2 purses, a skateboard, makeup and, in an ironic twist, a Bible.

Claremont homes targeted during burglary spree

It was quite an active week for house burglaries in Claremont. Several of those reported ended in close calls, but many of them did not. While burglaries and attempted burglaries spanned the city—above Foothill and below Arrow, according to police reports—no arrests had been made in any of the incidents.

Two homes in north Claremont were targeted Thursday, October 4. Between 1:45 and 3:45 p.m. a burglar kicked in the rear door of a home in the 900 block of Miramar Avenue and ransacked the house, according to Lieutenant Shelly Vander Veen. The resident is still determining the property loss, but it is known that miscellaneous jewelry was stolen.

At 9 p.m., also on October 4, a man attempted to break into a home in the 500 block of Rockford Drive. He punched through a glass windowpane on the front door and, after unsuccessful attempts to push the door open with his shoulder, he reached through the broken windowpane and attempted to unlock the deadbolt. A resident inside the property saw the commotion and screamed, according to Lt. Vander Veen. The man fled to a waiting vehicle, described as a black, 4-door Chevy Impala with large chrome rims. The suspect is described as a black male in his 20s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing about 140 pounds. The driver is also described as a black male in his 20s.

A south Claremont home in the 200 block of East Cucamonga Way was hit sometime between Thursday, September 27 and Thursday, October 4. The resident, who was in the process of moving out, returned home to find the front door had been forced open and the house ransacked. The property loss is unknown at this time.

A resident home alone stopped a potential burglary to her home in the 600 block of Geneva Avenue on Monday, October 8 around 12:30 p.m. A man the resident did not know rang the doorbell, but she didn’t answer. When the man then attempted to force open the door with his shoulder, the girl screamed and the suspect fled. He is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing about 180 pounds and wearing a black hoodie. That same day, residents of a home in the 3000 block of Mills Avenue, near the Pomona border, took a $900 loss when their home was ransacked. Approximately $500 in paper currency was stolen and about $400 taken in coins.

Any information on these burglaries or other incidents should be reported to the Claremont Police Department at 399-5411.

—Beth Hartnett

news@claremont-courier.com