Pasadena Police Department Community Incident Report for April, 2020

The Pasadena Police Department reports critical incidents that hapened each month.

Here is April's report:

This information provides a greater awareness to the Pasadena community. The critical events detailed below are merely a snapshot of the calls received to the Police Communications Center every day. As your police department continues to move forward under Police Chief John Perez, the principles of the “Pasadena Way” possess greater significance no matter what assignment, function, or mission an employee serves in the organization as we continue to police with compassion and best intentions.

Total Calls for Service for April 2020: 8,477 (YTD: 38,036) 911 Calls for April 2020: 5,805 (YTD: 24,300)

April 2020 Collected / Seized Firearms: Pistols – 9 (YTD: 78)
Rifles /Assault Rifles – 1 (YTD: 45) Shotguns – 2 (YTD: 8)

PASADENA POLICE - COMMUNITY BRIEF April 2020

April 3, 2020, 2:02 p.m.: Officers responded to an attempted strong armed robbery in the area of Lake Ave. and Colorado Blvd. The victim, who was taking architectural photographs in the area, was approached by the suspect who attempted to take the victim’s camera after swinging a skateboard at him. The victim was not struck with the skateboard, but a struggle for the camera ensued. The suspect was unable to take the camera and fled on the skateboard. Officers located and detained the suspect, who remained in the immediate area. While being detained, the suspect claimed to have been infected with the COVID-19 virus. Necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was utilized by the officers during their contact with the suspect, who would later admit he claimed to have COVID-19 in an attempt to avoid going to jail.

April 3, 2020, 10:08 p.m.: Pasadena Police Officers responded to the housing development located at Orange Grove Blvd. and Summit Ave. regarding a group that had gathered in the parking lot and was causing a disturbance. The group disbursed when officers arrived. Officers located a discarded handgun in the immediate area of one of the parked vehicles where the group was congregating. The gun was recovered and further investigation of the weapon will be conducted by Detectives.

April 4, 2020, 4:36 p.m.: Officers were dispatched to the report of a robbery that had occurred in the 100 block of Penn St. The victim, who had been walking in the area, was approached by the two suspects. One of the suspects displayed a pistol at the victim and demanded his possessions. The victim attempted to grab the gun and a struggle ensued during which time the victim was struck several times in the head with the pistol, sustaining a laceration to his head. After taking the victim’s cell phone, both suspects ran. Neither suspect was immediately located but have since been identified and were taken into custody by Detectives.

April 4, 2020, 11:07 p.m.: Pasadena Communications Center received multiple calls of shots fired in the area of El Molino Ave. and Orange Grove Blvd. Officers arrived on scene and located evidence of a shooting on Elmira St. and Santa Barbara St. A witness indicated that a suspect was shooting from a moving vehicle. Fortunately no one was struck but several bullet casings were located in the area.

April 5, 2020, 8:20 p.m.: Officers were dispatched to the area of Corson St. and Hudson Ave. regarding an armed robbery that had just occurred. The victim, who was walking in the immediate area, was approached by three suspects. One of the suspects pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded his money. The other two suspects reached into the victim's pockets and took several items of personal property and immediately fled on foot. These suspects are believed to be involved in numerous street robberies and have since, been taken into custody.

April 5, 2020, 8:55 p.m.: Shortly after the previous call, Officers responded to another call of an armed robbery just a few blocks away. The victim, who had listed his computer for sale on a popular website, and an associate agreed to meet the suspects in the area of 100 N. Lake Ave. to complete the sale of the computer. Prior to conducting the transaction, the two suspects assaulted the victim, causing the victim to fall to the ground. The victim’s associate attempted to restrain one of the suspects, but quickly released the suspect when the associate realized the suspect had a gun. Both suspects fled in their vehicle after taking the victim’s computer. Evidence was collected at the scene and further investigation by Detectives is being conducted.

April 6, 2020, 1:03 p.m.: Officers responded to the report of a strong armed robbery that occurred in the 2000 block of N. Fair Oaks Ave. the previous day. On April 5th at approximately 3:20pm, the victim was waiting at a bus in the area when the suspect vehicle stopped near the bus stop. Two suspects exited the vehicle and approached the victim, demanding money. The suspects grabbed hold of the victim and struck him in the face. Fearing for his safety, the victim handed them his cell phone and wallet. The suspects then re-entered the vehicle and left the area. These suspects are believed to have been involved in numerous, recent street robberies and once identified by Detectives, they were taken into custody.

April 6, 2020, 1:44 p.m.: Officers responded to another report of a strong armed robbery in the area of Montana St. and Fair Oaks Ave. The two victims, who were walking on Montana St.., were approached by two suspects who exited a vehicle. The suspects demanded personal items from the victims. One suspect pushed a victim and ripped a gold chain from the victim’s neck. Both victims immediately ran away from the suspects and reported the incident to the Police Department. Evidence to this robbery, links these suspects to the previous street robberies. All suspects were subsequently taken into custody.

April 6, 2020, 9:29 p.m.: Officers responded to the area of Lake Ave. and Maple St. regarding an additional street robbery. The juvenile victim was waiting for a bus in the area when he was approached by two suspects. The suspects pushed the victim, struck his arm and ripped a gold chain from his neck. One of the suspects also tried to remove a ring from the victim’s finger, but was not successful. The suspects fled the area in a vehicle. These suspects were responsible for several street robberies and have since been taken into custody by Detectives.

April 7, 2020, 10:08 p.m.: Officers responded to a shot fired call in the 1000 block of Summit Ave. When they arrived, they saw people running from the area and a deceased dog in the middle of the street. The officers’ investigation revealed that the dog had been shot and evidence was collected. The evidence lead to the arrest of a suspect who was found in the immediate area. The suspect was arrested and booked for animal cruelty.

April 11, 2020, 6:34 a.m.: Officers observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed in the area of Colorado Blvd. and Oakland Ave. Officers ran a records check on the license plate, which revealed the vehicle had recently been reported stolen from a nearby city. A traffic stop of the vehicle was attempted, but the suspect fled at a high rate of speed. A brief pursuit was initiated however officers lost sight of the vehicle and subsequently cancelled the pursuit. A short time later, the vehicle was located abandoned, however, the suspect was not found. The officers were able to contact the owner of the stolen and return it to him.

April 13, 2020, 2:24 a.m.: Officers were dispatched to a convenience store located in the 2700 block of E. Colorado Blvd. regarding an armed robbery. The victim, who was behind the cashier counter when two suspects entered the business, was fearful when one of the suspects pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded money. The other suspect jumped over the counter, took several merchandise items as well as money from the cash regiSt.er. Both suspects fled the location on foot.

April 13, 2020, 5:02 p.m.: Officers responded to the area of Hammond St. and Summit Ave. regarding a group who were reportedly participating in illegal gambling. Additionally, one of the individuals in the group was seen brandishing a firearm. Moment later, the Police Department received a call reporting one gun shot was heard and the group of individuals was seen running from the location. When officers arrived, the group was not located but a local hospital called the Police Department to report a man had arrived at their emergency room with a gunshot wound to the leg. The victim was treated for a non-life threatening injury. Officers canvassed the scene and located evidence of the shooting. Detectives are continuing the investigation.
April 15, 2020, 4:55 p.m.: Officers responded to a shots fired call in the 1200 block of N. Raymond Ave. The victims were in the front yard of their residence when they saw the suspects walk towards their residence. As they got closer to the victims, one suspect removed a firearm from his waistband and fired multiple rounds at the victim’s residence. The victims attempted to run however one victim was grazed with a bullet. The suspects fled immediately after firing the weapon. The victim who was struck, sustained a non-life threatening wound. Evidence of a shooting was located and the investigation is on-going.

April 17, 2020, 12:20 p.m.: Pasadena Police Officers responded to the 1200 Block of N. Lake Ave. regarding a man with a knife in front of a restaurant. Officer located and detained the suspect immediately upon their arrival. The victim told officers the suspect had come to the business and refused to wear a mask to enter. An argument ensued when the suspect was denied entry and the suspect produced a knife. The victim closed the business door to prevent the suspect from entering. With the door closed, the suspect used the mail slot to stab the victim in the hand and made life threatening comments to the victim. The victim sustained a minor injuries and the suspect was booked for assault with a deadly weapon.

April 18, 2020, 2:07 a.m.: Pasadena Police Department received information regarding a stolen vehicle that had fled from officers of a nearby police agency, during a pursuit. The stolen vehicle was last seen near the Pasadena City border. A few hours later, Pasadena Police Officers located the vehicle parked in the parking lot of a business in the 400 block of N. Los Robles Ave. As the officers approached the vehicle to detain the suspect, they realized the suspect was sleeping in the car. He was arrested and transported to the Pasadena Police Department’s Jail.

April 18, 2020, 11:58 p.m.: Pasadena Officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for minor traffic violations in the area of Oakland Ave. and Villa St. The driver was unlicensed and the officers noticed a strong odor of marijuana emitting from the car. During a search of the vehicle, a loaded firearm with an illegal, extended magazine was recovered as well as a can of spray paint. Officers noticed at least one suspect had fresh paint on his hands. A search of the area was conducted to determine if there was any recent graffiti, however none was immediately found.

April 19, 2020, 3:23 a.m.: Officers responded to the 100 block of N. Raymond Ave. regarding a male reportedly suffering from a gunshot wound. Officers located the injured victim, who claimed he had been shot near the 400 block of N. Garfield Ave. and had walked to his current location. Officers went to the area described and found evidence of the shooting. The area was canvassed and no additional victims were located. The victim was transported to the hospital in stable condition. The investigation is ongoing.

April 21, 2020, 12:38 p.m.: Officers responded to the 1100 block of N. Fair Oaks Ave. regarding an armed robbery that had occurred. The two victims who were sitting in a parked car when they were allegedly approached by two suspects. One suspect displayed a firearm and demanded money from the victims. When the victims refused, the suspects assaulted one of the victims and removed a bag from the car which contained a significant amount of money. The victims drove away from the location and called to report the incident to police. A search of the area for the suspects was conducted by officers, but they were not able to immediately locate them.

April 24, 2020, 8:45 p.m.: Officers were dispatched to the 300 block of E. Washington Blvd. regarding a family disturbance and the suspect was reported to be armed with a knife. Upon their arrival, officers located the suspect outside and detained him. Officers learned the victim and suspect became involved in a verbal argument resulting in the suspect assaulting the victim with his hands and threatened him with the knife. The victim sustained minor injury and was treated by paramedics. The suspect was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.

April 25, 2020, 10:31 a.m.: Officers responded to the 500 block of Union St. in regards to a possible assault. The officers contacted the victim who reported the suspects had thrown a rock at her, which struck her in the leg. Officers located the suspect in the area and detained him. The victim identified the suspect and he was arrested for the assault. The victim suffered minor injuries that did not require medical attention. The suspect, who possibly suffers from a mental illness, later spat on police and while in custody, provided a detailed plan on how he intended to kill an officer.

April 26, 2020, 8:23 a.m.: Officers responded to the reported theft of a City vehicle from the area of Villa Park. The vehicle was subsequently located in the 400 block of Carmelo Ave. The vehicle was parked and occupied by one individual. The occupant was arrested for auto theft. The vehicle was not damaged and returned to the City employee.

April 27, 2020, 12:37 p.m.: Officers responded to the 600 block of N. Oakland Ave. on the report of a man who was strangling a young child. By the time the officers arrived, the mother had fled the location with the child to a safe location while they waited for officers. Paramedics were summoned to treat the child. The father, who was believed to still be inside the family residence, was subsequently taken into custody and booked for attempted murder. The child was transported to a local hospital where he was treated and released back to his mother.

April 28, 2020, 4:09 p.m.: Officers responded to a restaurant located in the 700 block of N. Lake Ave. in regards to an attempted carjacking that had occurred while the victim was in the drive-thru line of the business. The suspect had approached and tried to force open the front passenger door of the victim's vehicle. The victim feared the suspect was trying to carjack him so he drove away as the suspect held on to the vehicle. The suspect eventually released his hold of the vehicle and was taken into custody by arriving officers. He was arrested for the attempted carjacking. Less than two weeks earlier, the same suspect was arrested for stealing a vehicle from a local car dealership.

April 29, 2020, 6:42 p.m.: Officers responded to a hotel located in the 2100 block of Colorado Blvd. regarding two subjects who had threatened to assault a hotel employee. The victim had asked the men to leave and when they refused, he advised the subjects he was going to call the police. The suspects threatened to assault the victim if he made the call to police. Fearing for his safety, he locked himself in a closet and made the call. When officers arrived to contact the two suspects, one of the suspects made similar threat towards the officers. Additional officers assisted and after a short struggle, both suspects were arrested. Multiple officers sustained minor injuries as a result of the altercation.