MONTEBELLO — Coroner’s officials on Wednesday identified the teen fatally struck by a train earlier this week as a 16-year-old Montebello resident.
Investigator McKracken from the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner said Tikkri Osario died of traumatic injuries and the death was ruled as an accident.
Montebello Police Lt. Kelly Gordon said a train conductor called police about a deceased person by the railroad tracks south of Olympic Boulevard, east of Maple Avenue at 8:21 p.m. Monday. It was a male that was struck, she added.
Gordon didn’t have details about the collision. She said the Union Pacific Railroad police is handling the investigation.

- Ruby Gonzales

MONTEBELLO — A coroner’s examination of the body of a man who died in police custody after struggling with officers and getting shocked with a Taser in May was unable to determine exactly how he died, attributing the death to a combination of drug intoxication, “agitated behavior” and being restrained by police, according to a coroner’s report released this week.
Guillermo Pablo Cedano, 44, of Montebello died at a hospital following a May 17 confrontation with Montebello police officers outside his home in the 1000 block of Carob Way, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s and sheriff’s officials.
Upon completion of the coroner’s examination, Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Lawrence Nguyen determined, “The cause of death is multiple drug intoxication combined with agitated behavior and multimodal restraint,” according to the autopsy report. The specific manner in which police restrained Cedano was not specified.
But the autopsy and subsequent toxicology tests failed to determine the mode of death, such as accidental or homicide.
“The manner of death is undetermined,” Nguyen wrote in his report.
Cedano suffered from an enlarged left ventricle in his heart, though the condition was not found to be directly related to his death, according to the autopsy report. Coroner’s investigators also noted the discovery of a “mild” brain bleed and two fractured ribs.
According to the coroner’s report, Cedano himself called 9-1-1 shortly after midnight and reported “someone was outside of his home to hurt him,” coroner’s investigator Kelly Yagerliner wrote. Police arrived and encountered Cedano outside of his home.
“He turned around to fight and police Tased him twice,” Yagerliner wrote. “The decedent pulled a probe out and charged at police. A physical altercation occurred and he was subdued.”
Neighbors reported hearing police tell Cedano repeatedly to show them his hands.
One of the involved police officers suffered a broken arm in the struggle with Cedano, according to deputy Aura Sierra of the Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau.
Cedano was then found to be unresponsive and was taken by ambulance to Beverly Hospital in Montebello, where he was pronounced dead, according to sheriff’s and coroner’s officials.
Toxicology tests found the presence of methamphetamine, amphetamine and phentermine in Cedano’s system.
“According to the decedent’s wife, she had left the house with the children because she was concerned about his behavior and paranoia,” Yagerliner wrote in the autopsy report. “He had a history of rock cocaine addiction but had been clean for the past ten years. He recently lost weight and was reportedly taking diet pills, but she said he seemed to be back on drugs.”

PICO RIVERA — Deputies arrested wanted suspected gang member and recovered a gun following a pursuit that led from Pico Rivera to Montebello late Tuesday, authorities said.
Rojelio Jimenez, 21, was accused of evading a police, being a convicted felon in possession of a gun, reckless driving following the incident, which began about 11:20 p.m. when a deputy spotted Jimenez driving recklessly in the area of Whittier Boulevard and Paramount Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Robert Smith said. Jimenez was also being held on two outstanding felony arrest warrants.
A deputy tried to pull over Jimenez for driving erratically, but he refused to pull over and instead lead deputies on a chase north and west into Montebello, Smith said.
He abandoned his car and continued fleeing on foot on Madison Avenue near Poplar Avenue, officials said. He was found hiding in a nearby yard and surrendered once a sheriff’s K-9 started barking at him.
A magazine loaded with ammunition was found in Jimenez’s car, and a handgun was found discarded nearby, Smith said. “There was a live round in the chamber.”
According to county booking records, Jimenez was being held without bail pending a scheduled arraignment Friday in Downey Superior Court.

Prosecutors Thursday filed seven felony charges related to the sale of methamphetamine against the husband of Montebello’s mayor following his arrest earlier this month, authorities said.
Ruben Guerrero, 44, was arrested two weeks ago during an early-morning raid at the home he shares with Montebello Mayor Christina Cortez in the 1500 block of Los Angeles Avenue.
Sheriff’s officials have said Cortez is not a suspect in the investigation.
“Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives arrested suspect Guerrero on Oct. 17, 2013, after he allegedly sold methamphetamine more than once during the previous weeks to an undercover sheriff’s detective, Capt. Mike Parker of the Sheriff’s Headquarter’s Bureau said in a written statement.
Guerrero sold drugs three times to an undercover investigator during the investigation, Los Angles County District Attorney’s officials said.
“The sales took place in a parking lot across the street from Montebello Intermediate School in the City of Montebello and were audio and video recorded by sheriff’s investigators,” Parker added.
He was charged Thursday in Los Angles Superior Court with three counts of felony sales of a controlled substance, three counts of transportation for sales of narcotics and one count of selling narcotics within 1,000 feet of a school.
Montebello Intermediate School is about a block away from the home of Guerrero and Cortez.
At the Oct. 25 city council meeting, Cortez thanked her supporters and said she had no plans of stepping down.
Guerrero was ordered back to court for an arraignment hearing Nov. 7, officials said. At the hearing, prosecutors were expected to ask that Guerrero’s bail be increased to $120,000.
He has remained free on $60,000 bail since the day of his arrest, according to county booking records.

MONTEBELLO — Montebello police sought the public’s help Wednesday in tracking down three longtime fugitives accused of child molestation in three unrelated cases.
All three men, former Montebello residents, have been identified as suspect in the molestations of young girls, Montebello police Detective Sgt. Julio Calleros said.
“Cases have been filed, and warrants have been obtained,” he said. “They know they’re being sought.”
But the suspects remain at-large, even after detectives have scoured the state in search of them, the sergeant said. “We’ve reached a dead end.”
So investigators Wednesday released their images to the public in hopes of generating tips.
Police have been seeking Paul Angel Candelas, 24, since 2011, when he allegedly molested the disabled, 6-year-old daughter of an acquaintance, Calleros said.
Candelas comes from a wealthy family and may be hiding out in the Inland Empire, the sergeant said.
Jose Luis Pineda, 44, is accused of molesting a 7-year-old female relative from 2011 to 2012, when the alleged crimes were discovered, Calleros said.
“(Pineda) possibly drives a gray Nissan Altima with tinted windows,” police said in a written statement. Before his disappeared, he was believed to work nights at the El Rodeo Night Club in Pico Rivera.
Hector Huerta, 30, has been sought by police since last year in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of a now-13-year-old family member between 2007 and 2013, Calleros said.
He is known to work as a mechanic for big rigs, and also as a big rig tire repair man, according to the police statement.
He has ties to Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego and Texas, police said.
Both
Pineda and Huerta are both believed to have ties to Mexico, police added.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Montebello Police Department at 323-887-1313. Anyone who spots one of the fugitives is encouraged to contact local police by calling 9-1-1.

PHOTOS of fugitives Paul Candelas, Jose Pineda and Hector Huerta courtesy of the Montebello Police Department.

WEST COVINA >> Prosecutors filed charges of murder and robbery Tuesday against two men in connection with a fatal car crash police said took place as the suspects were fleeing the scene of a robbery.
Angel Andres Rojo, 24, of Covina and Jose Flavio Diaz, 24, of Montebello entered no pleas when they appeared at the Pomona branch of Los Angeles County Superior Court, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s officials said in a written statement. An arraignment hearing was set for April 9.
They’re each accused of one count of murder and one count of second-degree robbery in connection with an alleged series of events late Saturday that resulted in the death of Manuel Ernesto Rodriguez, 26, of Rowland Heights, according to investigators and coroner’s officials. Rodriguez was a passenger in a Dodge sedan that crashed into a tree while being driven by Diaz.
“Several men, including Diaz and Rojo, were partying at a West Covina apartment complex just before robbing a woman and fleeing the scene,” according to the district attorney’s office statement. “The defendants drove away with their friend, Manuel Ernesto Rodriguez, and traveled at a high rate of speeds on city streets.”
Diaz lost control of the car along a curve where Hollenbeck Street becomes Casa Grande Drive, West Covina police officials said. The car struck a tree and overturned.
Rojo ran from the wrecked Dodge Intrepid but was quickly captured, officials said. Diaz, who suffered major injuries including a broken ankle, was taken into custody at the crash scene. Rodriguez died from his injuries at the scene.
Police determined Diaz was under the influence of alcohol and arrested him on suspicion of drunken driving, West Covina police Lt. Dennis Patton said.
As officers were responding to the crash, police received a call notifying them of the robbery, which took place at an apartment complex near Azusa and Puente avenues, West Covina police Cpl. Rudy Lopez said.
Detectives withheld details of the robbery as they continued seeking witnesses and clues, Lopez said. The woman who was allegedly robbed was not injured, and police recovered property believed to have been stolen during the robbery from the crashed Dodge.
Because officials allege Diaz and Rojo were in the process of committing a felony — robbery — when the fatal crash occurred, they are eligible to be charged with murder under a California law known as the felony murder rule, Lopez explained. The law allows that deaths resulting from the commission of felonies be charged as murder cases.
Rojo already has a 2013 conviction for assault likely to produce great bodily injury, district attorney’s officials said.
He was arrested Dec. 13 of last year and released from custody on probation Jan. 21, according to Los Angeles County booking records.
Both men were being held in lieu of $1 million bail, records show. Diaz remained hospitalized due to his injuries Wednesday, While Rojo was being held at Inmate Reception Center in Los Angeles.
If convicted as charged, both men could face maximum sentenced of life in prison.
Anyone with information regarding the fatal crash or the alleged robbery that preceded it was asked to contact West Covina police.

MONTEBELLO >> Police are investigating the death of a man found dead at the base of a building late Wednesday as a suicide, officials said.
Officials responded to the Golden Manor Retirement Center on Beverly Boulevard near Howard Avenue shortly at 7:12 p.m. after someone reported seeing a man fall from a second story window of the retirement home, Montebello police Lt. Mike Flores said.
Officials found the man lying in the parking lot of the bowling alley next door.
“The victim had injuries consistent with a high-altitude fall,” Flores said.
The death was being investigated as a suicide, and no foul play was initially suspected, he said.
The identity of the man was not available, Flores said, however he was believed to be a resident of the retirement home in his mid-60s.

MONTEBELLO >> Police are inviting local families to a town hall meeting Saturday to discuss gun safety.
The Montebello Police Department and Project Child Safe are hosting the meeting at 9 a.m. at the Montebello Senior Center, 115 S. Taylor Avenue, Montebello police Capt. Luis Lopez said.
After a discussion on safe firearm storage, free gun locks will be provided at the Montebello Police Department, 1600 W. Beverly Blvd., officials said. McGruff the Crime Dog will be on-hand to meet with children.
For more information, visit www.projectchildsafe.org.

MONTEBELLO — A fire tore through a condominium at a large Montebello complex Wednesday afternoon, but was extinguished by firefighters before it could spread to other units, authorities said.
The fire was reported at 1:53 p.m. in a second-floor unit of a two-story, multi-unit condominium complex in the 1600 block of Neil Armstrong Street, Verdugo Fire Communications Center Dispatch Supervisor Lynda Sims said.
The first firefighters on-scene declared a second-alarm and called for reenforcements, however they quickly got control of the flames, Sims said. Officials declared the fire “knocked down” at 2:12 p.m.
No injuries were reported to civilians or firefighters, Sims said. It was not immediately clear if the unit was occupied when the fire broke out.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.

MONTEBELLO >> A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent shot and wounded a suspect at a Montebello home Friday afternoon, authorities said.
Little information was initially released regarding the officer-involved shooting, which was reported at 1:47 p.m. in the 700 block of Carmelita Place, Deputy Amber Smith of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau said.
No information regarding the condition of the suspect was released Friday evening. There were no initial reports of any injuries to law enforcement officers.
“A Drug Enforcement Administration agent was involved in a shooting at a residence in Montebello, California, during a joint narcotics enforcement operation with our local counterparts,” DEA Special Agent Vijay Rathi said.
The DEA agents were partnered with deputies from the sheriff’s Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Apprehension Crime Taskforce, also known as L.A. IMPACT
Rathi deferred all further comment to the sheriff’s department, which is spearheading the investigation.
Sheriff’s detectives routinely assist Montebello police in investigating officer-involved shootings in their jurisdiction.
Dozens of DEA, Montebello police and sheriff’s officials responded both to to the scene of the shooting at a beige, single-story home, and at a large command post set up around the corner at a Montebello Unified School District facility.
No further details were available.

MONTEBELLO >> Details slowly continued to emerge over the weekend after a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent shot and wounded an unarmed suspect as he fled from a Montebello home Friday afternoon.
DEA special agents were teamed with Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies when the shooting took place about 1:50 p.m. Friday behind a home in the 700 block of Carmelita Place, according to DEA and sheriff’s officials.
“The special agents were conducting a narcotics investigation and were in the process of contacting the occupants of a residence when several individuals ran out the back of the house,” Lt. John Corina of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said in a written statement.
“One suspect, a 35 year-old man, jumped a fence and ran through neighboring yards before encountering other DEA special agents who were positioned on the next street over,” Corina said. “At that point, an officer-involved shooting occurred.”
The suspect was struck once by gunfire and was taken to a hospital where he was expected to survive, Corina said.
“A gun was not recovered from the scene, but the investigation is ongoing,” the lieutenant said.
Sheriff’s officials withheld the suspect’s name, and it was unclear if he was to face any charges. No further details were released Sunday.
As in all Los Angeles County officer-involved shootings, a parallel investigation is also being carried out by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, officials said.

MONTEBELLO >> A man died Wednesday afternoon after he was shot while driving a car in Montebello, authorities said.
The fatal shooting took place just after 4:40 p.m. on Sycamore Street at Spruce Street, Deputy Trina Schrader of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau said.
The victim was initially described as a man in his mid 20s, Lt. Eddie Hernandez of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooting victim was believed to have been wounded near Sycamore Street and Cedar Street before crashing his car into a utility pole several blocks to the west at Sycamore Street and Spruce Street.
“Neighbors heard two or three gunshots in the area of Sycamore and Cedar,” Hernandez said. “After hearing the gunshots they saw the victim’s vehicle, a red sedan, driving west on Sycamore Street somewhat eratically.”
The four-door sedan struck a stop sign at Spruce Street before coming to rest against a utility pole, Hernandez said. The victim appeared to have suffered both gunshot wounds and injuries from the crash.
The driver was the only person inside the car when police arrived, Hernandez said.
The motive in the slaying remained under investigation, officials said.
A second vehicle was seen in the area at the time of the shooting, however a description was not available and detectives were still looking into whether it was involved, Hernandez said.
Anyone with information was asked to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Coroner’s officials have released the name of a Perris man who was shot to death while driving through Montebello last week.
Justin Scott Verano, 38, died at the scene of Wednesday’s 4:40 p.m. shooting on Sycamore Street, near Montebello Boulevard, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. Fred Corral said.
He was driving west on Sycamore Street when he was shot by an unknown assailant near Cedar Street, Lt. Eddie Hernandez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said.
His car continued for about three blocks before crashing into a stop sign and a utility pole at Spruce Street, where it came to rest, the Hernandez said.
An autopsy determined Verano died from a gunshot wound to the head, and the death was ruled a homicide, Corral said.
A second vehicle was seen in the area at the time of the shooting, however detectives were looking into whether it was related to the shooting. A description of the vehicle was not available.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

MONTEBELLO — A Montebello man died and two other were hurt when a pickup truck slammed into a parked vehicle along Garfield Avenue in Montebello early Sunday, authorities said.
David Geovanni Ibarra, 20, died at the scene of the crash, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. Fred Corral said.
The solo-vehicle crash involving a Chevy Silverado occurred about 1:25 a.m. on southbound Garfield Avenue at Madison Avenue, Montebello police Lt. Rick Rojas said.
The truck veered to the side of the road and struck another pickup truck, which was parked and unoccupied, the lieutenant said. The impact pushed the parked vehicle into a light pole.
“The collision was substantial and an adult male driver succumbed to his injuries,” Rojas said.
Two other men in the truck were hospitalized with injuries described as moderate, he said. They were estimated to be in their 20s.
The cause of the crash was under investigation.

The Los Angeles County Coroner has identified a man fatally shot Tuesday in Montebello, coroner officials said.
Frank Burnell Taylor, 35, was shot once in the chest in the 500 block of Maple Street, Los Angeles Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said. He died at the scene.
Winter did not have a residence for Taylor.
Montebello Police officers found Taylor laying in the street around 7:15 p.m., officials said.
“Upon investigation it appeared that the victim was a pedestrian walking in the area,” Lt. Andy Vuncanon said.
Vuncanon said a suspect pulled up near the man and exited his vehicle.
“(He) approached the victim and produced a handgun and fired a shot at the victim which struck him in the chest,” Vuncanon said. “The suspect walked back to his car, got in, fled, and is outstanding.”
Police have not determined if both the victim and suspect were alone during the shooting, Vuncanon said. A motive has not been determined.
The suspect is described as a Latino male in his late 20s, 6-feet, 180 pounds, clean shaven with short black hair, and wearing a white T-shirt.
He was seen driving a silver small-sized pickup truck. The model is unknown.
Witnesses are asked to call Montebello Police investigators at 323-887-1248.

- Venusse Navid

A suspect is behind bars in connection with the fatal shooting of a Montebello man earlier this month, authorities said.
Montebello police investigators arrested Michael Joseph Fimbres, 44, of Montebello Wednesday in Pomona, according to Montebello police officials and Los Angeles County booking records.
He was being held in lieu of $35,000 bail on a lesser felony charge Friday at the Montebello Police Department’s jail pending an expected murder charge, officials said. The date of his next court date was not available late Friday.
He’s accused of the July 1 fatal shooting of 35-year-old Frank Burnell Taylor of Montebello, who was found mortally wounded in the 500 block of Maple Street about 7:15 p.m., police and Los Angeles County Department of Coroner’s officials said. Burnell was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives began seeking Fimbres after identifying early in the investigation as a suspect in Burnell’s slaying, Montebello police Sgt. Julio Calleros said. They had been keeping Fimbres under surveillance when they stopped a car he was in and arrested without incident about noon Wednesday on Fairplex Drive near the 10 Freeway in Pomona.
The suspect and victim were not strangers to one another, though the nature of their relationship was not certain, Calleros said.
“They were acquainted. They knew each other,” he said.
Calleros said the fatal shooting was believed to have been motivated by a “personal dispute.” He declined to discuss the dispute between the men in further detail.
Burnell was walking along Maple Street when nan attacker, later identified as Fimbres, approached in small pickup truck, Lt. Andy Vuncanon said.
Fimbres exited the truck, approached Burnell, pulled a handgun and shot the victim once in the chest, the lieutenant said.

MONTEBELLO >> A solo-car crash sent a driver to the hospital with serious injuries and blocked eastbound traffic on Via Campo Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
The crash was reported at 2:07 p.m. in the westbound lanes of Via Campos, between Garfield and Wilcox avenues, Montebello police Lt. Mike Flores said.
A man in his 30s was at the wheel of a Honda Civic when it veered off the right side of the road for an unknown reason and struck a power pole, the lieutenant said. “He has severe head injuries,” Flores said.
Rescuers took the injured man to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center for treatment, he said.
The eastbound lanes of Via Campo were shut down for an unknown amount of time as Southern California Edison crews worked to repair the damage to the utility pole.
The crash was under investigation by the Montebello Police Department.

MONTEBELLO >> A woman died Wednesday after she was struck by a pickup truck while crossing Garfield Avenue in Montebello with her children late Wednesday, officials said.
The two children, ages 5 and 9, were hospitalized with injuries not initially believed to be life threatening, Montebello police Lt. Michael Bergman said.
The collision took place just after 8:20 p.m. in the 400 block of North Garfield Avenue, just north of Madison Avenue, the lieutenant said.
The woman and children were crossing the street mid-block when they were struck, Bergman said. They were not within a crosswalk.
Officials took the woman and two children to a hospital, where the woman succumbed to her injuries a short time later, Bergman said. An update on the children’s conditions was not available.
The driver of the pickup truck remained at the scene and was cooperating with investigators, Bergman said. There were no obvious signs of a crime at the scene, however the investigation remained in its early stages.
Anyone with information can reach Montebello police at 323-887-1313.

MONTEBELLO >> A 28-year-old Whittier man died Friday after his motorcycle was rear-ended by a hit-and-run car on Washington Boulevard and crashed into a pole, officials said.
The crash took place about 4:45 p.m. on Washington Boulevard and Bluff Road, Montebello police officials said.
Both the motorcycle and the tan, four-door car were headed east on Washington Boulevard “at a high rate of speed” just prior to the collision, police said in a written statement.
“The tan vehicle collided into the rear of the motorcyclist, causing the motorcyclist to collide into a pole,” the police statement said.
“The motorcyclist succumbed to his injuries at the scene,” according to the statement. “The tan vehicle fled the scene eastbound into Pico Rivera out if sight.”
No further details were released.
Police shut down Both directions of Washington Boulevard between Paramount and Montebello boulevards as they investigated the scene.
Anyone with information was asked to contact Montebello police at 323-887-1313.
The hit-and-run was the second fatal crash within less than 24 hours in Montebello.
A man died late Thursday after the car he was riding as a passenger in crashed into a tree about 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the 300 block of North Montebello Boulevard, Montebello police Lt. Kelly Gordon said.
The driver of the car, described only as a woman, was hospitalized in critical condition following the crash.

MONTEREY PARK >> A task force arrested a man Tuesday in East Los Angeles whom Monterey Park police had been seeking for kidnapping, raping and assaulting his ex-girlfriend last week, authorities said.
The terrified victim may have saved her own life by jumping from a moving car on the 60 Freeway in El Monte on Oct. 28, the day after she was kidnapped at gunpoint by ex-boyfriend Benny Torres, 29, Monterey Park police Lt. Bill Cuevas said. Torres’ last listed address was in Montebello, though he was believed to have most recently been transient.
The woman, a Monterey Park resident in her 20s, was treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries she suffered at the hands of her captor, as well as in her escape, Cuevas said.
“She bravely, by her actions, basically saved her own life.”
Prosecutors Wednesday filed 11 felony charges against Torres, according to a felony complaint filed in Alhambra Superior Court.
The charges include kidnapping, two counts of rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by a foreign object, two counts of making criminal threats, assault with a deadly weapons, assault with a firearm, burglary and false imprisonment.
The victim had recently broken up with Torres amid allegations that he had assaulted her in an incident of domestic violence in Montebello, Cuevas said.
Torres arranged to meet his ex-girlfriend on the afternoon of Oct. 27 in Los Angeles, Cuevas said.
But when she arrived, Torres pulled a handgun, got into her car and ordered her to start driving, officials said.
The attacker eventually took the wheel of the woman’s car himself and drove her to a motel in El Monte, where he held her captive overnight, the lieutenant said.
“The victim was both sexually and physically abused,” Cuevas said.
Torres ordered the woman back into her car the following morning and began driving her somewhere, police said. The woman did not know where Torres was taking her.
“The victim was in fear for her life,” Cuevas said.
As the car travelled down the 60 Freeway, near the 605 Freeway in El Monte, the woman saw an opportunity to escape.
“At one point, while they were driving, she was able to jump out of the vehicle,” Cuevas said.
It was unclear how fast the car was driving when she leapt.
A good Samaritan found the woman wandering in the area and took her to a hospital, officials said. The hospital notified authorities once they determined the woman had been the victim of an attack.
The woman suffered injuries both at the hands of Torres, as well as when she jumped from the moving car, Cuevas said. She had since been treated and released from an area hospital.
Detectives began hunting for Torres with help from the West San Gabriel Anti Crime Task Force, which is made up of officers from the Monterey Park, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Arcadia, Monrovia, El Monte police departments, as well as officials from the Los Angeles County Department of Probation, task force coordinator and Arcadia police Lt. Colleen Flores said.
Task force members found and arrested Torres about 1:40 p.m. Tuesday at a relative’s home in the 4000 block of E. 2nd Street in East Los Angeles, according to officials and booking records. Officers arrested him without a struggle.
Torres entered no plea at an appearance Wednesday in Alhambra Superior Court, court officials said. His arraignment hearing was postponed to Nov. 24.
If convicted as charged, Torres could face life in state prison, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Sarah Ardalani said.
Torres remained behind bars Wednesday at the Monterey Park Police Department’s jail in lieu of $2.35 million bail, officials said.

PHOTO of Benny Torres, 29, courtesy of the Monterey Park Police Department.