Driver Brandishes Handgun at Crossing Guard Following Verbal Altercation, Police Say

A 73-year-old crossing guard was threatened with a handgun Friday morning following a verbal dispute with a motorist near Altadena Drive, according to Pasadena Police Lieutenant Monica Cuellar.

The incident, reported at 9:39 a.m. on Sept. 19, began roughly an hour earlier at 8:20 a.m. when the crossing guard attempted to direct a driver on where to stop his vehicle in the 2000 block of Paloma Street. The driver refused to comply, prompting a minor verbal exchange, Cuellar said.

Approximately 20 minutes later, the suspect returned to the location, lowered his window, and was approached by the crossing guard. As the victim looked inside the vehicle, the suspect placed his right hand on a black handgun resting on the front passenger seat and said, “Don’t you ever holler at me again,” Cuellar said.

The suspect then pulled forward and remained parked for about five minutes before driving away. The victim, a Pasadena resident, told police he did not recognize the suspect and had never seen him before.

Cuellar said surveillance cameras in the area have been identified, and investigators are reviewing footage as part of the ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the Pasadena Police at (626) 744-4241 or report information anonymously by contacting “Crime Stoppers” at (800) 222-TIPS (8477) via your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile App on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org