WEST COVINA - A body has been found in the aftermath of a house fire in West Covina, authorities said. The fatal fire was first reported at 11:05 a.m. at a home in the 900 block of Holiday Drive, near Grand and Cameron avenues. According to West Covina Fire Department Capt. Scott Gilmore, “a passerby called 9-1-1 at the same time the West Covina Fire Department received a fire alarm activation from inside the home”. "Our first units arrived at 11:11 a.m. and found heavy smoke showing from all the vents," Gilmore said. "The smoke had already filled the home." The front door of the home was locked so firefighters had to force entry, Gilmore said.
Firefighters discovered the body after extinguishing the blaze, which took about 30 minutes, he said. The home has visibly suffered significant damage from the fire, mostly to one side which was "gutted," Gilmore said. The incident was being investigated by both West Covina police and fire officials.
COVINA, CA. The death toll in the “Santa Massacre” case that has shocked the nation now stands at 9 people after authorities find more bodies at the horrific scene.Bruce Jeffrey Pardo attended a Christmas Eve party on Knollcrest Drive in Covina, around 11:30pm Christmas Eve dressed as Santa Claus. Pardo then opened fire on party goers, including his ex-wife and her relatives, before torching the house with a home-made flame thrower and fleeing the scene to later take his own life.
Initial reports indicated at least three people dead, with authorities hampered by the charred ruins of the house. Shocking eyewitness reports include an eight-year-old girl opening the door at the home, excited to see Santa, only to be then shot in the face at point blank range. The five minute raw video clip shows a two-story inferno as the home burns, LA County firefighters battling to blaze, ambulances moving the injured and SOT from one stunned neighbor. This crime inspired the true crime series "Homicide for the Holidays" episode titled "A Christmas Massacre".
EAST VALINDA - A girl and two men were arrested after a gang-related shooting in Valinda. The shooting erupted in a backyard at about 4 PM and the suspects, a female juvenile and two men escaped the scene but were eventually captured. The teenage victim was airlifted to a local hospital suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Video shows LA County Paramedics attending to the shooting victim and moving him from the ambulance to the helicopter. Shown is one of the shooting suspects being taken into custody after being chased and captured in the yard of a home. Also shown are Sheriff deputies running with guns drawn and closing in on suspect. Click link to view actual news broadcast. TRT 10 minutes.
Domestic Terrorist Group Claims Responsibility
WEST COVINA – Ecoterrorists torched and vandalized more than 40 vehicles at West Covina's Clippinger Chevrolet-Hummer car dealership, causing an estimated $1 million in damages. The FBI is investigating the early morning fire as domestic terrorism, and the group Earth Liberation Front, or ELF, claimed responsibility for the acts. The arson fire destroyed or damaged dozens of Hummers and other SUVs were vandalized by anti-pollution graffiti, and similar spray-painted slogans. Video shows destroyed and damaged vehicles with “ELF” and other slogans and messages painted on the cars, the heavily damaged building, and members of the West Covina Fire Department putting out hot spots and beginning overhaul. TRT 8 minutes
W Covina Eco-Terror Fire #03-029
Pregnant Woman Shot #01-018
Couple Ambushed By Gunmen WEST VALINDA -- A pregnant Valinda woman and a teen-age boy were injured during a gang-related shooting in the 13700 block of East Judith Street. The victims, returning home from a neighborhood donut shop, were ambushed as they walked near three men in a car. The 27-year-old woman is six months pregnant. County firefighters said the woman was shot in the buttocks and the teen was shot in both thighs. The woman was flown by helicopter to a Los Angeles Trauma Center while the boy was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Both victims are expected to survive. The shooters escaped in a white Honda. Video shows shooting victims receiving medical treatment, the medical airlift, and Sheriff investigators processing the crime scene. TRT 7 minutes
Domestic Dispute Leaves 2 Women With Stab Wounds INDUSTRY - LA County Sheriff received a call of a stabbing in progress in the 1000 block of Clintwood in West Valinda (La Puente). Arriving Deputies found 2 females (mother and daughter) with multiple stab wounds to their necks. The victims were transported by county air ambulance in serious condition. Sheriff officials are not saying at this time who stabbed whom in the domestic violence disturbance. Video includes both severely injured victims receiving emergency medical aid at scene of stabbing, and one victim being removed from the home and airlifted, shots of crowd gathered in front of home and of Sheriff investigators gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses. TRT 10 minutes
Valinda Double Stabbing #00-044
Backyard Shooting #01-017
LA Man Gunned Down By Unknown Shooter LOS ANGELES – LAPD Newton Division officers responded to a call of “shooting in progress” in the backyard of a home in the 300 block of W 47th street. Arriving officers found a 26-year-old man who had been shot several times by unknown assailants who had walked up to his rear yard fence. The man was transported to Martin Luther King Hospital were he was pronounced dead. Footage shows arriving officers and paramedics performing CPR and working to save victims life, also shows investigators working at the scene and gathered crowd.