Pasadena Critical Incidents
September 8
At about 11:07 p.m., the Pasadena Police Department received a call of a possible locker theft from a local gym, located in the 200 block of South Lake Avenue. Officer Banuelos investigated the incident and distributed an electronic description of the suspect to his coworkers. Hours later, Pasadena Police Sergeant Ernie Devis was working patrol and saw a male subject matching the description of the theft suspect. Devis stopped the subject and, based on his field investigation, determined that this subject was the theft suspect. He was arrested without incident and booked at the Pasadena jail. The case was assigned to Pasadena Police Detective Scott Vandergrift, who interviewed the victim. Based on follow-up interviews and the initial police work, Scott was able to obtain a felony filing with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office
At about 5:56 p.m., Uniformed Patrol Officers, Special Enforcement Section (SES) Officers, and the Air Operations Flight Crew responded to a report of a fight with weapons involved in the 500 block of North Wilson Avenue. Our investigation revealed that five suspects (one adult and four juveniles) physically assaulted a male in a nearby alley. During the altercation, one of the suspects produced a handgun and fired a single gunshot into the air and another suspect produced a knife. Officers detained the suspects without incident. All of the suspects were positively identified in a field show-up. The victim suffered abrasions and a facial contusion during the altercation. Canine Officer Widger and his partner, Nico, located a firearm during an article search. The suspects were arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.
September 9
At about 11:55 p.m., Uniformed Patrol Officers responded to the area of Fair Oaks Avenue and Colorado Boulevard regarding a suspicious circumstances call. The victim reported that a man in a van was following him from the City of Los Angeles. Officer Reece, Sergeant Devis, and Lieutenant Luna located the van and initiated a traffic stop in the vicinity of Colorado Boulevard and Mills Alley. The driver of the van was acting strangely and made several irrational statements. During the investigation, officers discovered that the driver was in possession of a loaded .380 caliber handgun and a small amount of methamphetamine. A convicted felon, he was arrested without incident.
Pasadena Police officers continue to encounter armed suspects with greater frequency. As in these cases, the suspects are often gang members or convicted felons whose motives for carrying firearms are undoubtedly unlawful.
September 10
Aat about 3:45 p.m., the South Pasadena Police Department requested the help of the Pasadena Police Helicopter Crew regarding an attempted bank robbery. Witnesses provided South Pasadena Police officers with a description of the suspect and the “getaway vehicle.” Pasadena Police Pilot TJ Gonzales and Senior Tactical Flight Officer (S/TFO) Ryan Smith (PD-1) responded quickly. While checking the general area for the suspect vehicle,PD-1 Air Crew monitored a radio broadcast from the San Marino Police Department that their officers were in pursuit of the bank robbery suspect. PD-1 joined the vehicle pursuit in the City of San Gabriel. Shortly after the arrival of the police helicopter, the suspect vehicle yielded to the ground units. The suspect was arrested without incident. The subsequent investigation revealed the suspect was wanted by the FBI for eight bank robberies, and he had been dubbed the “Bluto Bandit.” The suspect told arresting officers he gave up the pursuit when he realized the police helicopter was overhead. This arrest underscores the collaboration between San Gabriel Valley Police Agencies and the Pasadena Police Department’s Air Operations Section. Without the involvement of the police helicopter, this wanted felon may have escaped captured and/or unnecessarily endangered innocent citizens as the result of a prolonged vehicle pursuit.
September 11
At about 8:27 p.m., Special Enforcement Section (SES) officers and Special Investigations (SIU) detectives were working collaboratively to reduce narcotic trafficking at several local area hotels. During the investigation, officers & detectives saw a suspicious vehicle leave a hotel in the 2000 block of East Colorado Boulevard. Pasadena Police Sergeants Aguilar and Bzdigian observed the vehicle, developed sufficient probable cause, and initiated a traffic stop near Hill Avenue and Mountain Street. There were two occupants in the vehicle and the driver failed to yield. Aguilar and Bzdigian initiated a vehicle pursuit.
During the pursuit, a witness in the 900 block of North Euclid Avenue saw one of the suspects discard a semi-automatic handgun onto the sidewalk (subsequently recovered by PPD). The vehicle pursuit terminated near Barthe Street and Mountain Street and the suspects were arrested without further incident. SES officers & detectives located approximately ½ ounce of methamphetamine in the suspect’s vehicle. The suspects (Jose Camacho, Male Hispanic, 26 years old, Pasadena Resident and Mauricio Camacho, Male Hispanic, 21 years old, San Bernardino Resident) were booked at the Pasadena jail. SES officers & SIU detectives completed a follow-up investigation at the hotel where the male suspects were staying. Officers located an additional amount of methamphetamine and arrested two females without incident.
