News
La Mirada Crime Report March 12-18-2012
Robbery
An attempted carjacking occurred on the 14300 block of San Cristobal Dr. The victim knew the suspect. The suspect was taken into custody by the Buena Park Police Department.
Residential Burglary
Three burglaries and one attempted burglary were reported last week. A burglary was reported on the 14900 block of Barnwall St. An unknown suspect kicked in a side door to gain entry. Jewelry and coins were stolen from the home. An incident occurred on the 13100 block of Los Alisos St. A sliding glass door was shattered. Jewelry and a purse were taken.A burglary was also reported on the 14700 block of Figueras Rd. A laptop computer and coins were taken. An attempted burglary occurred on the 15200 block of Cheshire St.
Vehicle Burglary
Four burglaries were reported last week. A trailer was broken into on the 16000 block of Canary Ave. A third row seat and various items were stolen from a vehicle on the 14300 block of Firestone Blvd. A window smash burglary occurred on the 13300 block of Beach Blvd. A purse and camera bag were stolen from the vehicle. An incident was reported on the 15200 block of Vanada Rd.
Grand Theft
A grand theft was reported on the 16000 block of Heron Ave. The incident is currently under investigation.
Grand Theft Vehicle
Two vehicle thefts were reported last week. A vehicle was stolen from the 14300 block of Firestone Blvd. An older model Honda was stolen from the 16100 block of Rosecrans Ave. The vehicle was recovered days later by the Buena Park Police Department. Deputies recovered a vehicle stolen from the City of Orange on the 14200 block of Ramhurst Dr.
UPDATED: Assault on Police Officer Sparks Short Pursuit
La Mirada~A La Mirada man led authorities on a brief pursuit through Buena Park and La Mirada last evening, ultimately crashing his car and being taken into custody.
The crash occurred on Stage Road about 7 p.m. just west of Biola Avenue, and shut down the road for approximately two hour
s as officials investigated.
Jeremy Cass, 25, of La Mirada was booked at the Buena Park Police Department for striking a police officer with his vehicle-a felony.
Lt. Gary Worrall of the Buena Park PD told the La Mirada Blog, "A motor officer noticed a small truck being driven erratically in the area of Beach Blvd and Artesia. When the officer attempted to make contact with the driver, he rammed the officer with his vehicle, striking him twice. A pursuit then ensued through the north end of Buena Park and portions of La Mirada. He is being held for assaulting a police officer."
The pursuit lasted about ten minutes, with the vehicle crashing on Stage.
The Biola Chimes is reporting Cass stole the vehicle from his girlfriend earlier and that also a technique to end the pursuit was executed by the Buena Park PD.
Lt. Rivera of the Norwalk Sheriff's Station said the vehicle was not officially reported as stolen. He said La Mirada units were involved once the pursuit entered the city limits.
Rivera said, "We have arrested this individual in the past. Also, the Whittier Police Department had some "activity" with him earlier in the day regarding a family disturbance."
Update: According to records, it appears Cass was sentenced to 180 days in jail on November 17, 2011 at Downey Municipal Court for an unknown felony charge. It appears he served apporoximately 110 days and was released last month on February 12th. He currently remains housed in the Central Mens Jail without bail, awaiting his arraignment Wednesday March 15th in Santa Ana.
Photo: Buena Park and La Mirada police personnel at the scene of the crash moments after it occurred.
Motorcyclist Killed in Traffic Mishap
La Mirada~A motorcyclist was killed in a rush-hour accident at Valley View Avenue and Bora Drive in La Mirada yesterday morning about 8:00 a.m.
The motorcycle was traveling southbound on Valley View Avenue when it collided with the van, driven by Virginia Gomez. of La Mirada.
Gomez was making a left turn from eastbound Bora Drive to northbound Valley View Avenue.
The southbound traffic on Valley View was backed up, as it usually does at busy times, from the Rosecrans Avenue traffic signal.
Gomez said traffic was letting her through when she was hit by the motorcyclist broadside.
We have still been unable to obtain the victims name, however we have unconfirmed reports he was a local man.The man appeared to be in his 50's.
One of our La Mirada Blog tweeters Kat (@torirosey), reported he was due to get married this summer.
Neighbors at the scene say this has long been a very dangerous traffic spot, with many similar incidents happening over the years.
A makeshift memorial is now at the scene, put there by family and friends.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Norwalk Sheriff's Station at (562) 863-8711.
Photo left: Makeshift memorial now at scene; right, photo by La Mirada Blog tweeter (@moonsunstaroflm) moments after incident.
UPDATE: LAPD Guns Down Murder Suspect in La Mirada Neighborhood
BREAKING
"Hail of Bullets" Rattles La Mirada Neighborhood; We Have Exclusive Video with Eyewitness to Shooting
La Mirada~A man,allegedly a murder suspect, was shot and killed this morning in a quiet La Mirada neighborhood by LAPD.
The incident hap
pened about 8:43 a.m. at the corner of Escalona and Chesire.
Escalona School was temporarily placed on lock down.
We have exclusive video from an eyewitness here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SEK9Nhk0Js
UPDATE: The LAPD/FBI Task Force were serving warrant for November double-homicide in East LA area. The suspect fled out of his home and jumped on the roof of a neighbors house, and according to police, began firing at them with his firearm.
Photo by Tony Aiello: 12:34 030112-Authorites continue to collect evidence
Truck Crashes into Frontier Park
La Mirada~A delivery truck veered out of control and crashed into Frontier Park Wednesday afternoon during rush hour traffic.
Nobody was hurt at the park, and the driver was hospitalized with moderate injuries.
A firefighter on the scene said the man was "very lucky to be alive."
An unidentified employee at the Frontier Park Community Center said she heard others say the conscious driver did not know what happened, saying he just lost control of the truck.
The truck came to rest just short of an unoccupied picnic bench, slamming into a pine tree and disenegrating the front of the vehicle.
Luckily, even though the park was busy at the time, nobody was injured.
See a short video of the incident on our YouTube channel here: http://tinyurl.com/7b3hvf8
See an additional picture of the crash here: http://twitpic.com/8npq2m
Copper Thieves Hit Gardenhill Elementary
Four Wings of the School Still Without Power as of Late Wednesday
La Mirada~Thieves stole copper wiring at Gardenhill Elementary School this past Monday evening/early Tuesday morning, leaving parts of the school without power all day Tuesday and Wednesday.
As of Wednesday afternoon, four wings of the school, including the kindergarten section, remained without power as district electricians, continued to work on replacing the wiring.
The wiring was stolen from underground, with the thieves accessing two manhole covers.
"At an unknown time, 110 feet of 1¼ inch copper wiring was stolen, resulting in approximately $800-$1000 dollars in damage, said Sergeant Gary Harman of the Norwalk Sheriff's station, "As a result, two wings of the school lost power."
Gardenhill office clerk Sandy Roberts told the La Mirada Blog that she, along with the custodian noticed the theft almost immediately, "We saw two big holes in the ground, it was kind of obvious something happened."
CRIME REPORT: Ratliffe, Granada, and Woodbay Hit by Burglaries
The following is the crime report for La Mirada January 23-29, 2012:
Aggravated Assault
Two assaults were reported last week. An assault was reported near Ratliffe Dr. and Woodridge Ave. A suspect was taken into custody. An assault reported on the 14000 block of Mansa Dr also resulted in a suspect being arrested.
Residential Burglary.
A burglary occurred on the 14900 block of Woodbay Dr. Jewelry was taken from the location. A burglary was reported on the 15000 block of Granada Ave. An arrest was made later the same day in connection with the incident. An attempted burglary was reported on the 14100 block of Ratliffe St.
Other Structure Burglary
An attempted burglary was reported on the 16700 block of Valley View Ave. Several office doors were pried at the location. A burglary to a garage occurred on the 15400 Lofthill Dr. Responding deputies arrested a suspect for the incident.
Vehicle Burglary
Three vehicle burglaries were reported last week. A burglary was reported on the 14000 block of Foster Rd. A purse was stolen from the vehicle. An incident was reported on the 13100 block of Sunnybrook Ln. A subwoofer and various other items were taken. A burglary was reported in a shopping center parking lot on the 15200 block of Rosecrans Ave. The vehicle's stereo and other items were taken.
Grand Theft
A theft of a vehicle's catalytic converter was reported on the 14700 block of Costa Mesa Dr. An incident was reported on the 15200 block of Desman Rd. A theft was reported on the 12700 block of First St. A guitar and amplifier which was left curbside was stolen.
Grand Theft Vehicle
Two vehicle thefts were reported last week. A forklift was reported stolen from the 15800 block of Imperial Hwy. An older model Acura was stolen from the 15800 block of Alicante Rd. The vehicle was recovered later the same day on the 12900 block of Edwards Rd.
A Message From New Lamplighter Publisher
After 24 years , the Newspaper That Evolved With the City, is Coming Back
Dear La Mirada residents:
Welcome to your new-only in age-La Mirada Lamplighter.
As President, Publisher and Owner of Hews Media Group, we are very excited about the Lamplighter and hope to carry on the tradition that Dick Hurley started years ago. We have recruited local resident Tony Aiello as Associate Editor, and he will have a few other writers covering La Mirada. The paper will feature (in the beginning) La Mirada stories on the front page and two to four center pages, with a mix of community news (including La Mirada) from other cities that we cover-cities that are neighbors to La Mirada. News coverage will include City Council/Planning Commission meetings, local events, school news, club news, feature columns, sports, and we will have an Opinion page where residents are encouraged to discuss and debate local issues.
Here is a quick rundown on of the HMG personnel:
Most of us were born with ink in our veins. I am part of a third generation newspaper family and have been in the community newspaper industry for over 30 years.
My grandfather started Wave Newspapers in Los Angeles which grew to the largest community newspaper in the nation during the 1990's, having 280,000 circulation, over 840,000 readers each week.
I purchased Los Cerritos Community Newspaper in 2002 which now publishes 40,000 papers per week, 120,000 readers, and is home delivered to seven cities: Cerritos, Artesia, Lakewood, Hawaiian Gardens, Pico Rivera, La Palma, and Norwalk.
Iconic La Mirada Newspaper Makes Its Return
La Mirada~The La Mirada Lamplighter newspaper is returning to La Mirada after a 24-year hiatus.
The new La Mirada Lamplighter will debut Friday, January 27th, 2012 according to Los Cerritos Community News publisher, Brian Hews, who has resurrected the paper.
Hews' network of newspapers currently serves readers in Cerritos, Artesia, Hawaiian Gardens, Norwalk, Lakewood, and La Palma.
According to the Library of Congress, the paper started in 1955 as part of the Buena Park News the Weekender. In 1964 it became a twice weekly, ending in 1988.
Dick Hurley, the Lamplighter's popular managing editor, ran the newspaper from 1955-80.
The paper peaked in the 70's and has become a very popular, almost cult-like memory for this nostalgia-craving town.
The new edition is expected to be printed weekly on Fridays, being delivered to drop-spots at key locations throughout La Mirada, with a circulation of 15,000 and an estimated readership of 42,000.
At this time, home delivery will not commence until the first weekend following the Friday print issue, with plans calling for all La Mirada homes to receive an issue, free of charge.
Yours truly has been named the Associate Editor, working alongside Editor-in-Chief, Jerry Bernstein. Send your press releases, news stories, and comments to me at news@lamiradablog.com.
Visit us on our Lamplighter Facebook page and tell us how happy you are to have the La Mirada Lamplighter back: http://tinyurl.com/87tfmgj
Photo: The La Mirada Volunteer Center is excited, after reading the Lamplighter trial edition in December.
Look for the new La Mirada Lamplighter at these and other fine area establishments:
Amy's Cafe 14228 Imperial Hwy
Asian Palace Buffet 15028 Rosecrans Avenue
Beauty Supplies Too 15864 Imperial Highway
Best Care Dental 15651 Imperial Hwy
Bestway Supermarkets 12721 Valley View
Bonjour 
Bagel Cafe 15010 La Mirada Blvd
Breezewood Village Senior Apts 16000 Grayville Dr
Camping World 14900 Firestone Blvd
Carriage Coffee Shop 14871 Imperial Hwy
Family Orthodontic Center 14930 Imperial Highway
IHOP Restaurant 15140 La Mirada Blvd
La Mirada Community Dental 14930 Imperial Highway
La Mirada Family Dentistry 15071 East Imperial Highway
La Mirada Golf Course 15501 East Alicante Road
La Mirada Landmark Adult Community 13710 Avenida Santa Tecla
La Mirada Council Passes Resolution to Postpone Redevelopment Dissolution; New Community Commissioner Named
La Mirada~The city council on Tuesday passed resolution 12-06 to support legislation, along with other area cities of SB 659, which will temporarily postpone the dissolution of redevelopment agencies in the state.
With the passing of recent bill ABX1 26, the state has essentially told city redevelopment agencies to shut down shop.
“This is a travesty”, City manager Tom Robinson said, “The state is eliminating organizations that do a billion dollars worth of good.”
Many city agencies are scrambling to react and hope to postpone the shutdown to at least April 15th-which SB 659 will provide.
A series of events must take place in the State Legislature by February 1st however, to make that happen, including a call for a special session.
With that February 1st deadline looming, the city redevelopment agency may have performed its last action as an official body. The Lamplighter has asked several area city managers, including our own Tom Robinson to comment on the end of redevelopment. Their comments can be found on page 7.
NEW CITY COMMISSIONER NAMED
La Mirada native, Kenny Meyer was sworn in as the city’s latest commissioner.
Kenny will serve on the Community Services Commission for an unexpired term ending in June 2013.
Kenny was born and raised in La Mirada, and has been very involved in youth sports programs over the years.
He has served as an assistant for the La Mirada High School freshmen football for ten years, and initiated a study session program for the players.
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