Arrest of Interest/Crime Trends

On Thursday evening, May 11th, a GPS enabled package was taken from an Arcadia resident's porch. The package had been placed there by APD in cooperation with the resident. Following the GPS signal, officers were led to a business parking lot in the City of Hacienda Heights where a suspect vehicle in the theft was found. The suspect vehicle immediately fled and a pursuit was started. Due to the unsafe driving by the suspect, the pursuit was terminated shortly thereafter by APD. Air support continued to track the suspect vehicle and another police agency initiated a pursuit of the suspect who ultimately abandoned the vehicle in the City of South Gate, fleeing on foot to a nearby theater. The suspect was found inside the theater and was arrested.

During the investigation, officers learned the suspect vehicle was embezzled and they found stolen items to include credit/debit cards along with methamphetamine inside the vehicle. The suspect was identified as Christopher T. Cook, a 27-year-old man from Rancho Cucamonga. Cook was booked at the Arcadia City Jail on multiple felony charges along with a LA County Probation PRCS (Post Release Community Supervision) hold.

Anyone with information on this case or other cases is encouraged to contact the Arcadia Police Department at 626-574-5156. Or, if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google play or the App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org. 

Arrest of Interest/Crime Trends

Two weeks in a row, we have had a significant identity theft related arrest. An officer working burglary suppression late this past Tuesday night, May 9th, came across an occupied car with no license plates parked in front of a home in the 300 block Monte Vista Drive. APD units stopped the car when it pulled away and contacted the driver. The officers saw credit cards, mail, and open packages in the vehicle. Investigation by the officers found the items to be in different names from the area and outside the city. The driver also had issued driver's licenses in two different names but with his picture. Checks, money transfer receipts, social security numbers, and other items related to identity theft were found in the car.

Jun Kuai, a 30-year-old "transient" was arrested and booked at the Arcadia City Jail on multiple felony charges.

After follow-up, Detectives believe Suspect Kuai was able to fraudulently obtain in excess $20,000.00 loss from various victims through assorted means.

Anyone with information on this case or other cases is encouraged to contact the Arcadia Police Department at 626-574-5156. Or, if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google play or the App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org. 

Trending in Arrests

Each week, we will post an arrest of interest pointing toward arrest and crime trends within Arcadia. Bait package arrest again leads to much more than a parcel theft. Last Thursday morning, officers were alerted to a GPS enabled bait package being taken and quickly located the suspect vehicle in the 300 block of West Duarte Road in Monrovia. Officers tried to stop the suspect vehicle, a small U-Haul box truck, but the driver fled. Officers pursued the vehicle on streets and the 210 freeway, discontinuing the pursuit due to the driver's dangerous actions. At one point, the driver used the truck to collide with and push another vehicle out of the way in order to get around the other vehicle. Dispatchers continued to monitor the GPS location of the bait package, ending up in the City of Azusa. 

With the assistance of the Foothill Air Support Team (FAST), officers from Azusa PD were able to locate and detain both the male driver and a female passenger after they fled from the U-Haul truck, abandoning it in a parking lot in Azusa.

During the investigation, we learned the U-Haul truck had been stolen in the City of Pomona the evening prior to this incident. Inside the truck officers found a bicycle and other evidence taken in an overnight commercial burglary in the City of Monrovia, along with stolen bait package.

Alan G. Alamillo, 39-year-old male from La Verne, and Ilena M. Rutledge, 22-year-old female from Montclair, were arrested and booked on multiple felony charges at the Arcadia City Jail. Alamillo is also believed to be involved in the commercial burglary of a cell phone store in Arcadia back in January.

(Alan G. Alamillo / Ilena M. Rutledge)

Anyone with information on this case or other cases is encouraged to contact the Arcadia Police Department at 626-574-5156. Or, if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google play or the App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org. 

Trending in Arrests

Each week, we will post an arrest of interest pointing toward arrest and crime trends within Arcadia. This past Saturday night to Sunday morning saw a cluster of thefts from unlocked vehicles in the Village area of town off Michillinda Avenue. A couple of the vehicles were reportedly locked, but there was no forced entry found by officers. Cash, credit/debit cards, and a camera were among some of the items taken in the thefts. At least 7 cars were gone through.

Officers recalled detaining a male subject for a similar theft within the last few months in close proximity to this batch of crimes. The subject lives nearby in the unincorporated County area. The officers went to this subject's home and spoke with him, ultimately finding a debit card taken in one of the theft cases from overnight. The subject was arrested and booked on felony charges. However, when the case was presented for filing, the District Attorney's Office felt there was insufficient evidence to proceed at this time and the subject was released. This is not uncommon and means our Investigators will conduct additional follow-up along with submitting physical evidence for forensic examination before presenting the case again. Time restraints do not always allow such investigation before cases are initially presented.

These theft events serve as a good reminder to always remove items of value from your cars and be sure to secure and lock them, even while parked in your driveway or garage. Hide It, Lock It, Keep It!

Anyone with information on this case or other cases is encouraged to contact the Arcadia Police Department at 626-574-5156. Or, if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google play or the App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org. 

Trending in Arrests

Each week, we will post an arrest of interest pointing toward arrest and crime trends within Arcadia. This past week, our bait program helped nab 7 folks in three separate events for felony theft incidents, including both the bait bikes and packages. One case is described below:

About 1:30 a.m. last Sunday morning, a bait package was taken from a front porch in the 300 block of West Longden Avenue. Officers quickly located the suspects and vehicle still in the area. During the investigation the bait package was found inside the suspect vehicle, along with stolen mail from multiple nearby locations in Arcadia. All four occupants were arrested.

Oscar L. Juarez, 32-year-old male from La Puente, Krista E. Moreno, 32-year-old female from El Monte, Veronica Rendon, 22-year-old female from La Puente, and Noah F. Sargent, 20-year-old male from Whittier were all arrested and booked on felony charges at the Arcadia City Jail. Two of the arrestees are on Post-Release (County-Level) Community Supervision (PRCS).

Anyone with information on this case or other cases is encouraged to contact the Arcadia Police Department at 626-574-5156. Or, if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google play or the App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org. 

Trending in Arrests

Each week, we will post an arrest of interest pointing toward arrest and crime trends within Arcadia. The last week or so of 2016 was filled with arrests of folks taking the bait and stealing GPS bait packages from porches of Arcadia homes. The four incidents below were some of the bait package activity and almost all of the arrests lead to additional charges such as probation or narcotics violations. This has been a common factor in many of the bait package arrests leading to additional charges and discovery of other crimes.

Robert W. Rouse, a 52-year-old male from Monrovia and Livier Ramirez, a 35-year-old female from Pico Rivera were arrested on December 23, 2016.

Paul R. Halpin, a 29-year-old male from Long Beach and Raquel A. Rodriguez, a 34-year-old female from Whittier were arrested on December 27, 2016.

Agustin Pargas, a 39-year-old male from Duarte was arrested on December 28, 2016.

Mark J. Espejo, a 38-year-old male and Angel Arturo, a 32-year-old male, both from El Monte, were arrested on December 28, 2016.

Each of these suspects were booked at the Arcadia City Jail for felony Grand Theft charges. Four of them faced additional felony charges.

Anyone with information on any of these incidents is encouraged to contact the Arcadia Police Department at 626-574-5156. Or, if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google play or the App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.

Trending in Arrests This Week

Each week, we will post an arrest of interest pointing toward arrest and crime trends within Arcadia. This week's case is an arrest of two suspects who were booked on suspicion of Grand Theft (GPS Bait Package), Identity Theft, and Possession of Controlled Substance.

Officers caught up to this pair of suspects early Sunday morning, December 4, 2016, in the 300 block West Duarte Road. The suspects had stolen a package from a home in the 100 block Lyndon Way. The package was equipped with a GPS device as part of the APD bait program, leading officers right to the suspects and their vehicle, a couple blocks away. During the investigation, officers recovered the bait package, along with money cards, checks, narcotics, and a card embossing machine, all leading to additional felony charges for the suspects.

Arrested and booked at the Arcadia City Jail were Joseph Kamal, 40-year-old male from San Gabriel, and Cristhyn Amador, a 21-year-old female from Temple City.

Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to contact the Arcadia Police Department at 626-574-5156, case #16-6375. Or, if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google play or the App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.