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Armed suspect seen prowling West Hills neighborhood remains at large

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Armed suspect seen prowling West Hills neighborhood remains at large

A community is concerned after an armed suspect was seen prowling a West Hills neighborhood and peering into windows.

Residents reported seeing the man peering into home windows as he wandered around a neighborhood near Stagg Street and Valley Circle Boulevard on Thursday night.

“I looked out the window and saw a man trying to break into my neighbor’s house,” said Brandon Taylor, a resident. “I saw him looking into windows.”

At times, the man peered into the backyard gates of several homes while continuing to stroll around. That’s when Taylor decided to observe the suspect and record the man on his cell phone.

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“I followed him in my car and kept a safe distance,” Taylor said. “I watched him hop a fence into someone’s property so I called 911 at that time. I was on hold for about 27 minutes. They transferred me to a non-emergency [line].”

Eventually, Taylor decided to go home. Later that night, police received reports of the suspect prowling the same neighborhood at around 8:35 p.m.

“My husband always checks the camera before he goes to sleep and he noticed [the suspect],” said Jaymie Nevis, the owner of a business located near Platt Avenue and Vanowen Street.

Her husband checked the store’s security cameras at around 10:43 p.m. and spotted the suspect walking around while pointing what appeared to be a handgun.

“Oh, it’s absolutely a gun,” Nevis said. “You can see him working with it and he’s pointing it outward.”

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The woman shared the alarming video with neighbors in the area, prompting many to remain cautious and on the lookout.

“It’s scary that it could be people coming around this close with a gun, walking around, prowling and looking for a place to get in,” said a concerned neighbor.

“We have a patrol here,” said another neighbor. “We have a homeowners association. We have received letters telling us to be on the lookout for anything suspicious.”

Los Angeles police said the suspect is described as a Hispanic man who was last seen wearing a blue shirt and dark-colored shorts.

“When you see a guy with a gun, that’s very disconcerting and it steps it up a level,” Nevis said. “He’s not just peeking over your fence. He’s now an armed individual.”

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The suspect remains at large. Anyone with information on the case can call LAPD at 1-877-527-3247. 

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Los Angeles, Ca

Orange County neighborhood rallies after resident’s Pride flag slashed by vandals

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Orange County neighborhood rallies after resident’s Pride flag slashed by vandals

Residents in Anaheim are rallying behind a gay couple after vandals ripped down a Pride flag from their home and slashed it into pieces over the weekend.  

The June 15 incident happened in the early morning hours and was captured on the couple’s home surveillance cameras.  

Jake Nolan and his partner, Jon, have lived in their Anaheim home for the last seven years and said they installed the flag as a celebration of Pride Month.  

“We were like, ‘Did that really just happen? Did someone slash the flag and pull it down?” Nolan told KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff.  

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Footage of the incident shows a person walk through their yard up to the flag and pull out a knife.  

“You see him grab the flag, slash it and then rip it down,” Nolan explained. “Then he says some stuff and you kind of see him stomp through the yard.”  

While the couple said they have a hard time understanding why someone would act this way, what they found after they posted the hateful incident to a neighborhood Facebook page was an overwhelming response of support.  

“I said, I’m going to order 10 flags. If you guys want a flag, we can show solidarity and we can all show support,” neighbor Elia Renteria said after reading the social media post. “Come on down and grab a flag and you can all put it on your front door.”  

Neighbors on the street responded in droves and now one house after another is flying the Pride flag in solidarity.  

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“It makes you feel good to know that where we planted our roots is a community that looks out for us and we can all look out for each other,” Nolan said.  

He added that he’s not going to allow the hateful act to deter him from showing his love and support for Pride.  

“If people can see it and feel support, like, that was a big motivator for us to get it back up as soon as possible,” he said. “It’s a message of you can do it, but you can’t keep us down.”  

The couple did file a police report and officers with Anaheim Police Department were at their house on Monday. The incident is also being investigated as a possible hate crime.  

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Los Angeles, Ca

Search for Ret. L.A. County Deputy Sheriff missing on Greek island continues

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Search for Ret. L.A. County Deputy Sheriff missing on Greek island continues

While family members and friends continue to search for a 59-year-old retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy missing on the Greek Island of Amorgos, a missing American tourist was found dead on another island nearly 500 miles away.  

The remains of the man, who has yet to be identified, were found on a remote beach on the small Greek island of Mathraki, just west of Corfu on June 16, according to the Associated Press.  

He had been reported missing by his host, a Greek-American friend, on June 13.  

The disappearance of Ret. L.A. County Deputy Sheriff Albert Calibet and the discovery of the deceased U.S. tourist come amid a series of cases in which tourists in Greece have died or gone missing after setting out on hikes in extremely hot weather.  

A search and rescue effort for Calibet, who has been missing ever since he set out on a hike he’d done many times before on June 11 in 97-degree temperatures, is still underway.  

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His brother, Oliver Calibet, who is now on Amorgos searching for him, was visibly sad and frustrated in a video posted to YouTube recently.  

“I just want to find my brother. I don’t know why the U.S. can’t come and help me,” he said. “I’m here with six people from L.A., we’re here on our own dime.”  

  • Ret. L.A. deputy sheriff missing on remote Greek island
  • Ret. L.A. deputy sheriff missing on remote Greek island

Family friend Robin Winston León told KTLA that there are very few resources on the part of the island Calibet disappeared on. The island, she said, is about half the size of Catalina with about 2,000 people on it and no airport.  

Calibet’s sister-in-law, Sandrine Cutright, explained that search and rescue efforts have been hindered by the rugged terrain that can’t be traversed at night.  

“Maybe somebody has a night vision drone or something that can detect heat,” she said.  

L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna released a statement on the 59-year-old’s disappearance, saying in part:  

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“We are actively collaborating with multiple agencies abroad to provide assistance in the search for Deputy Calibet and will use every resource we have available to bring him back to those who love him.”   

A GoFundMe has been organized to help those searching for Calibet get more resources and equipment in their efforts to locate him.  

“The clock is ticking, and we feel like we’re losing time,” León told KTLA last week.  

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Los Angeles, Ca

11 arrested, including alleged pimp, in Claremont prostitution sting

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11 arrested, including alleged pimp, in Claremont prostitution sting

Eleven people were arrested in Claremont on Thursday as three undercover officers posing as prostitutes were contacted by 10 would-be customers and one pimp.

The Claremont Police Department “received multiple complaints from residents, business owners, and [passersby] regarding prostitution” near Indian Hill Boulevard and the 10 Freeway, police said in a news release.

At that location, the undercover officers posed as prostitutes and were solicited for sex by 10 “Johns,” or would-be customers, who were then arrested by other officers in the area, police said.

Those 10 people are:

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  • Alexander Anthony Guerra, 33 years old from Pomona
  • Santos Villatamoreno, 35 years old from Highland
  • Brian Eugene Cannon, 46 years old from Hesperia
  • Stevey Macias Yanez, 47 years old from Pomona
  • Jose Anaya, 30 years old from Pomona
  • Jason Orellana, 25 years old from Pomona
  • Sergio Andrade, 44 years old from Ontario
  • Malik Edwards, 29 years old from Claremont
  • Wilmer Hernandeznino, 32 years old from Ontario
  • Isaias Castroesparza, 33 years old from Bloomington

Castroesparza is also a registered sex offender for sexual battery, police said.

An 11th man, Raheem Tiyon Blackmon, was also arrested for attempting to “pimp and pander” an undercover officer, authorities said. Blackmon, a 31-year-old from Antoich, was taken to a hospital for medical reasons, and his case will be presented to the District Attorney’s Office for possible charges.

The 10 alleged Johns were booked and released with citations for a pending appearance in Pomona Superior Court.

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