Pasadena Police Chief Recaps Recent Weeks’ Critical Incidents

Editor’s Note: In this report, Pasadena Chief of Police Phillip Sanchez reviews noteworthy incidents which occurred or were concluded in recent weeks in Pasadena.

On March 28, at about 10:34 a.m., Pasadena Police officers responded to the Target Store at 777 East Colorado Boulevard regarding a non-responsive person. On arrival, officers (and PFD paramedics) located the lifeless male adult. The victim (Male Black, approx. 55 years) is known to be homeless. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s field investigator responded and took possession of the victim’s body. There were no signs of foul play.

On April 4, at about 9:15 a.m., Pasadena Police officers were on routine patrol in the 500 block of North Los Robles Avenue when they observed a suspicious vehicle. The officers attempted to stop the vehicle near Los Robles Avenue and Adena Street, however, the driver failed to yield. When the driver finally stopped the car, a Male Hispanic suspect exited the passenger side of the vehicle and ran N/E on Los Robles Avenue. A uniformed PPD officer chased the suspect, who produced a firearm and shot at the officer (thankfully, the officer was not hit by the suspect’s gunfire). The officer returned fire, striking the suspect. He was subsequently taken into custody without further incident. A loaded pistol was recovered in close proximity to the suspect. PFD responded and transported the suspect to a local hospital, where he was admitted to surgery. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the shooting. Ultimately, The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed several felony charges against the suspect, including attempted murder on a police officer.

On April 12, Team 1 officers and personnel assigned to the department’s Violence Reduction Taskforce conducted a parole compliance check on a subject in our community. The subject is on active parole for robbery and ADW (firearm). During the check, officers located ammunition and other dangerous items from the parolee’s bedroom. His vehicle was also checked and officers recovered a loaded semi-automatic pistol and a quantity of methamphetamine. The parolee was arrested without incident and booked for the narcotics and firearm charges. As I have pointed out many times before, there are too many guns in our community. Mixing narcotics, particularly meth and firearms, is a dangerous combination for my officers and the public. You may recall that since January 1, PPD officers have remove more than 30 firearms from our community and seemly, there is no end in sight. Despite the potential for encountering an armed subject in our community, PPD officers remain proactive and steadfast in the effort to safeguard our public. Since the parolee in this case has demonstrated a propensity to use a firearm, the arrest is even more significant. I am very proud of the violence reduction efforts by my officers. They are dedicated, courageous, and truly passionate about protecting all who live in, visit, or work in our great community.

On April 14, at about 2:00 p.m., Pasadena Police officers responded to the area of Mountain Street and Oakland Avenue regarding a shots fired investigation. On arrival, PPD officers observed Male Hispanics running from the immediate area of the incident in their effort to evade the police. With the assistance of the Air Operations Crew, ground officers contained the area and the subjects were detained without incident. Our investigation determined that the call of shots fires was UNFOUNDED. The sounds were caused by fireworks.

On April 16 at about 11:40 a.m., Pasadena Police officers responded to 73 Pepper Street regarding a traffic accident. On arrival the officers learned the driver of a vehicle lost control striking several pedestrians. Preliminary information suggests the driver was traveling slowly when she lost control of the car hitting the victims (the involved parties are all family members). The injures included lacerations and blunt force trauma. At least one person was taken to a local area hospital for medical assessment.

On April 16, at about 9:20 p.m., The Pasadena Police Department received several calls of gunshots in the 1000 block of Summit Avenue. Officers patrolling the area confirmed hearing the shots and responded to investigate. They arrived quickly and located evidence of the shooting, however the officers did not locate any victims. A short time later, the police department received a call from a local area hospital stating there were two Black Male Adults (40’s & 20’s) who walked into the emergency room and reported they had been shot. The GSW were not life threatening PPD officers responded to the hospital to investigate.