Latest news with #GlendalePolice
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
Sophisticated South American Crime Tourists Hit with Charges for Jewelry Heists
Sophisticated South American Crime Tourists Hit with Charges for Jewelry Heists originally appeared on L.A. Mag. When Glendale Police arrived to a small mom-and-pop jewelry store that had just been cleaned out on a Tuesday afternoon in late May, there was no sign of forced entry, at first, until they looked up. The sophisticated thieves had burrowed through the roof of Bidrussian Jewelry located at 1102 ½ S. Glendale Avenue and made off with what police are calling an "unknown amount of jewelry" and fled into the night. During the robbery, the thieves used cell phone jammers so no one could call police, which also left people unable to call emergency services for other issues, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Thursday. Glendale Detectives assigned to the burglary division launched an investigation, worked sources and pressed known fences, and came up with likely suspects: a professional robbery crew from South America, part of a recent and growing surge of criminals from outside the U.S. who come to L.A. as "crime tourists" with plans to steal. Last summer, a similar crew was locked up for a brazen stickup right out of a Hollywood action flick: the robbers pointed a gun at a tourist eating lunch with his family at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons and demanded his Rolex, one of many gunpoint watch heists the Venezuelans pulled off as tourists to L.A. There have been so many crimes that fit the pattern, that the streets were talking about a new crew that was planning to break into another small jewelry store in La Verne. Glendale Police puts it this way, detectives "developed leads identifying possible suspects. Working in coordination with local agencies, detectives initiated surveillance on the group." And when they showed up at their next target, Rodeo Jewelers, located at 1560 Foothill Boulevard in the City of La Verne, in the dead of night last Sunday, police were waiting, surveilling, ready to pounce. Once again, police say, "the suspects also used signal jammers and cut wires to the location," to prevent surveillance or 911 calls from anyone who saw them in action. Once they were in, they were nabbed, police and prosecutors say. 'To those involved in organized crime targeting businesses in Los Angeles County: No matter how carefully planned your crimes may be, you will be identified, apprehended, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,' Hochman said. 'Not only do these reckless crimes threaten livelihoods and instill fear in communities, but attempts to avoid detection by disabling emergency services put millions of lives at risk. This will not be tolerated under my watch.'The men charged are: Jose Millafil; Luka Pazitiani; Javier Sepulveda; Matias Vera; Victor Iturriagalopez; Edson Gonzalez; and Cristian Gonzalezaburto. They are all charged with multiple felonies for burglarizing two jewelry stores and causing extensive infrastructure damage. This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
CBS News
07-07-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
Driver crashes into Glendale gift shop after collision
A business was badly damaged just before midnight Sunday when a driver crashed into a Glendale storefront, police said. According to the Glendale Police Department, a traffic collision between two vehicles at the intersection of Glendale and Garfield avenues sent one of the cars into Sevana Gifts. Luckily, no one was inside the store at the time of the crash and no injuries were reported to either driver. It's not yet clear how the initial crash occurred. At the scene on Monday morning, plastic wrapping covered the storefront after the car was towed away. It's not yet clear how long Sevana Gifts will need to be closed for repairs.
CBS News
01-07-2025
- CBS News
Burglary ring allegedly responsible for $2 million Glendale jewelry store heist busted
The Glendale Police Department announced the arrest of a group of men believed to be responsible for a May 27 burglary of a Glendale jewelry store where the thieves broke in through the roof of the shop and stole around $2 million worth of goods, according to the shop owner. Bidrussian Jewelry owner Manial Bidrussian said after the burglary, "They cleaned everything, and they made it into a warzone. As I've been telling everybody else, it's like a battle, a war happened in here." The burglars broke through the jewelry store's roof at roughly 1 a.m. on May 27, according to the Glendale Police Department. Once inside, they ransacked the shop and cleaned out all of the safes. Thieves broke in through the roof of Bidrussian Jewelry in Glendale on May 27. The owner said they wiped him out, stealing about $2 million in goods. KCAL News Following this incident, Glendale police detectives developed leads and identified possible suspects, and began surveilling a group. Police said they received information that the group was planning to target another jewelry store on June 29 in the city of La Verne. "As the suspects attempted to gain entry through the roof, law enforcement officers coordinated to take the group into custody. The suspects also used signal jammers and cut wires to the location during the incident," a Glendale Police Department news release stated. Eight suspects were at the scene, and seven were taken into custody with the assistance of several local agencies, including the La Verne Police Department. "All suspects are foreign nationals believed to be involved in similar crimes spanning both their countries of origin and the United States," the news release said. The following men were arrested: Jose Millafil, Javier Sepulveda, Cristian Gonzalezaburto, Luka Pazitiani, Vera Matias, Victor Iturriagalopez, and Edson Gonzalez. Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the Glendale Police Department's Burglary Unit at (818) 548-3127.
New York Times
09-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
City of Glendale Cancels Its Contract to Help House ICE Detainees
The city of Glendale, Calif., announced Sunday it was terminating its contract with U.S. Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and would no longer allow the agencies to house federal immigration detainees at its police department faciliy. Glendale 'recognizes that public perception of the ICE contract — no matter how limited or carefully managed, no matter the good — has become divisive,' the city, in Los Angeles County, said in a statement. 'The Glendale Police Department is trusted and supported by the residents and businesses, and in turn, our officers work every day to protect and serve with professionalism and care. At this time, it is in our best interest to not allow that trust to be undermined.' The announcement came after protesters in parts of Los Angeles clashed with police officers and federal law enforcement for a third consecutive day on Sunday. 'The City Manager's decision to end this contract was made after careful evaluation of legal, operational and community considerations,' the city said in its statement. It stressed the decision was not 'politically driven.' For years, the federal authorities have relied on detention contracts with local governments and for-profit companies to help house individuals detained by federal immigration agencies. These private ICE detention centers have become a cash cow, and a crucial cog in the Trump administration's plans to detain and deport thousands of immigrants. The contracts can also include town and city governments, that obtain federal contracts to hold immigration detainees in local facilities. The city of Glendale had such an arrangement since 2007, it said. While housed in the facility in Glendale, immigration detainees had access to clean facilities, medical care, family visitation and legal counsel, the city said. But, it added, the police department's association with ICE activities risked undermining public trust. 'The Glendale Police Department does not enforce immigration law,' the city stressed.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Glendale police arrest man they believe stabbed and killed woman in April
A man has been arrested in connection to the stabbing death of Judy Lopez in Glendale in late April. Glendale police announced the arrest of 27-year-old James Marshaun Christopher Weekly on Friday. Court paperwork shows Weekly is facing a charge of second-degree murder. Glendale police were originally called to the area near 83rd Avenue and Cardinals Way on the night of April 28 after they received numerous reports of a woman who had been stabbed.
