Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Fullerton

Three men led police on a pursuit from Fullerton and were arrested in Santa Ana last night

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You might have heard a commotion last night, Dec. 28, with police helicopters and lots of sirens, at the 5 Freeway. Turns out it was a police pursuit that led to the arrest of three men, according to the O.C. Register.

The incident began at around 8:20 p.m. when Fullerton police officers tried to pull over the suspects as they were driving a Dodge Ram truck, for a vehicle registration violation. This prompted the suspects to flee – and one of them three a handgun out of the window of the vehicle. Continue reading→

Man suspected of armed robberies of liquor stores in Fullerton and in Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in Alcohol, Crime, Fullerton, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

An armed robber was captured on surveillance video when he robbed Valley Liquors, located at 2429 West Edinger, in Santa Ana, just after midnight on Wednesday morning, according to KTLA.

The SAPD and the Fullerton Police are trying to figure out if this suspect is also the man who robbed JJ’s Liquor, located at 2238 W. Orangethorpe Ave., in Fullerton, at around 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 21, according to the O.C. Register. Continue reading→

A man who shot at a Santa Ana truck driver on the 91 is heading to prison for only five years

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Fullerton, OCDA, Santa Ana 3 Comments

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

Case # 14NF3221

Date: July 21, 2017

MAN SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON FOR DRIVE-BY SHOOTING ON 91 FREEWAY

SANTA ANA – A man was sentenced today to five years in state prison for shooting at a man in another car on the 91 Freeway.

Defendant: Jerry Valentin, 35, Scottsdale, Arizona

Pleaded guilty on April 12, 2017, to: Continue reading→

A suspected DUI driver killed a Century High School student in a crash on the 57 on Sunday morning

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Luis Torres, a 15-year old student at Century High School, was killed this morning while he was in the back of a 2009 Honda that was pulled over on the shoulder of the southbound 57 Freeway, in Fullerton, according to the O.C. Register.

The crash happened early on Sunday morning, at 1:59 a.m., just north of the Yorba Linda Boulevard off-ramp when Nicole Cortinas, 28, of Moreno Valley swerved a 2015 Honda off the freeway lanes and onto the shoulder, striking the 2009 Honda, according to the CHP. Continue reading→

Santa Ana man arrested and charged with a fatal hit and run DUI collision

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Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD Traffic Investigators Make an Arrest in Fatal Hit and Run Collision

Arrested: Israel Gutierres Zamora (45) Santa Ana

Booking Charges: Gross Vehicular Manslaughter While Intoxicated, Felony Hit and Run

Victim: Mitchell Paul Viturino (61), Fullerton

On Monday, February 8th, 2016 at 2:01am, officers responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Bristol Street and 1st Street in Santa Ana. The collision involved a silver 2006 Mercedes Benz E350 sedan and a red 1999 Ford Mustang coupe. It was also reported that occupants of the Mercedes were seen fleeing the scene of the collision. Continue reading→

Councilman Tinajero honored for his work as a speech and debate coach

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City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community Alert: Upon Retirement, Councilmember Tinajero Receives National Honor for Speech and Debate: Recipient of Harold Keller Award

Over the past weekend, at the National Speech and Debate Association’s 2016 National Tournament, Santa Ana Councilman Tinajero was announced as the recipient of the Harold C. Keller Award, a top honor provided to individuals for their dedication and development to speech and debate.  This great honor comes on the heels of Councilmember Tinajero’s retirement from being Director of the Fullerton Union High School Speech & Debate Team earlier this June after 15 years of dedicated service which included over 170 speech and debate tournaments, coaching of over 1,000 students, and numerous other prestigious accolades.

Councilmember Tinajero has an outstanding record of achievement including: Continue reading→

Middle College High School student recognized for her volunteer work as a Big Sister

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Big Brothers Big Sisters Names Inaugural ‘Angelitos Award’ Recipients

New award recognizes teen volunteers for dedication to the organization’s High School Bigs mentoring program

SANTA ANA, Calif., June 2, 2016 – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire, Orange County’s premier youth mentoring organization, is launching a new award named in honor of local auxiliary group Angelitos de Oro. The auxiliary is a major supporter of High School Bigs, one of Big Brothers Big Sisters’ three one-to-one mentoring programs offered to children facing adversity.

Receiving the inaugural award are two dedicated teen volunteers through High School Bigs. The program matches high school students one-to-one with children at local elementary schools in weekly site-based sessions facilitated by a BBBS program specialist. During these sessions, matches discuss academic achievement, self-esteem, bullying and relationship-building. Continue reading→

The OCTA gears up for 2016 Bike Month

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OCTA Gears Up For Bike Month

ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority invites bicyclists of all ages to improve their health, help the environment and cut the cost of driving by celebrating Bike Month at their annual bike rally at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 12.

Get your free bike month T-shirt and join OCTA on the slow-paced group ride through Old Towne Orange and the Santiago Creek Trail. The ride will begin at Orange Metrolink Station and end at OCTA’s headquarters. Continue reading→

Learn about the future of transit on Harbor Blvd. at upcoming open houses

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City of Santa Ana

Community Alert: Help Develop the Vision for Future Transportation Opportunities: Central Harbor Blvd Transit Corridor Study

The Orange County Transportation Authority is partnering with the cities of Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Anaheim and Fullerton for the Central Harbor Blvd. Transit Corridor Study to envision the future of transit on Harbor Blvd.

Harbor Blvd. provides a vital north-south connection linking residents, businesses, schools and visitor destinations and has the distinction of being the busiest bus routes in the County. Continue reading→

Speeding car caused a fatal crash this morning that closed the N. Bristol and W. First St. intersection

Posted on by Posted in Accidents, Crime, Fullerton, Public Safety, Santa Ana 1 Comment

A high-speed crash left one person dead and two others sought by police in Santa Ana Monday morning, according to KTLA News.

The accident happened this morning just after 2 a.m. when a driver in a silver Mercedes Benz ran a red light while speeding southbound at the intersection of North Bristol Street and West 1st St., according to the O.C. Register.

The speeding driver broadsided a red Ford Mustang that was headed eastbound through the intersection, fatally injury the Mustang’s driver, Mitchell Viturino, 61, of Fullerton. Continue reading→

The OC Armory Emergency Shelter Program seeks volunteers

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The OC Armory Emergency Shelter Program Seeks Volunteers

By OC Supervisor Lisa Bartlett

With the cold weather upon us, the Orange County Armory Shelter opened on November 14 and will remain open through April 15, 2016. The Armory Program provides up to 400 beds per night for the homeless in Fullerton and Santa Ana. Volunteers are needed 7 days per week to help both in the evening (5-8 PM) and morning hours (5-7 AM). Volunteer activities include assisting with set-up, clean up, passing out meals and donations. Continue reading→

Event combats human trafficking and raises funds for a Santa Ana nonprofit

Posted on by Posted in Brea, Charities, Crime, Fullerton, OCDA, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment
Ed Royce, Lita Mercado, Marty Simonoff, Oree, a human trafficking survivor, Pastor Alan Frow, and Brea Police Chief Jack Conklin

U.S. Rep. Ed Royce, Lita Mercado, Brea Mayor Marty Simonoff, Oree, a human trafficking survivor, Pastor Alan Frow, and Brea Police Chief Jack Conklin

FREE OC HOSTED BY SOUTHLANDS CHURCH RAISED $15,000 FOR ORANGE COUNTY HUMAN TRAFFICKING TASK FORCE – ITS NEWEST FAITH-BASED PARTNER ORGANIZATION TO HELP VICTIMS OF SEX AND LABOR TRAFFICKING RE-INTEGRATE INTO MAINSTEAM SOCIETY

At the Aug. 1 FREE OC Fundraising Dinner and Auction, The Task Force Debuted Rising Above, OCHTTF’s New Scholarship Fund for Trafficked Survivors

Brea, Calif. (August 3, 2015) – Southlands Church in Brea, the newest faith-based member of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF), which is administrated by nonprofit Community Service Programs (CSP), hosted FREE OC, a sold-out dinner and auction fundraiser for OCHTTF on August 1, 2015 that raised $15,000 to support survivors and help restore dignity to those rescued from sex and labor trafficking in Orange County. In addition to helping bring hope and freedom to survivors, proceeds from FREE OC kick started Rising Above, a new OCHTTF scholarship fund.

The OCHTTF is a virtual organization of multiple agencies organized to stop human trafficking, also called modern-day slavery, in Orange County. These human rights violations occur in the forms of commercial sex (sex trafficking) and forced labor, such as domestic servitude, factory or agricultural work. Since 2004, OCHTTF has assisted more than 450 victims of human trafficking from 36 countries. Continue reading→

Big A Bandit arrested by the FBI and he turned out to be a Santa Ana resident

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Big A Bandit

Another embarrassment for Santa Ana.  Turns out the so-called “Big A Bandit,” who got that name because he habitually wore an Angels baseball hat while committing a series of bank robberies in Orange County, lived in Santa Ana.

The man, Robert Paul Simmons, 51, was arrested on Tuesday night, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said, according to the O.C. Register. Continue reading→

Man who raped and stabbed his estranged wife to be charged with multiple felonies

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Luis Javier Cervantes

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 15CF0911

Date: May 4, 2015

MAN TO BE ARRAIGNED ON CHARGES OF FORCIBLY RAPING AND STABBING VICTIM IN HER HOME WHILE THEIR TWO CHILDREN SLEPT NEARBY

SANTA ANA – A man will be arraigned today on charges of forcibly raping and stabbing a female victim in her home while their two young children slept nearby. Luis Javier Cervantes, 24, Santa Ana, is charged with one felony count of forcible rape, one felony count of aggravated assault, and a sentencing enhancement allegation for raping the victim during the commission of a burglary. If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum sentence of 29 years to life in state prison. Cervantes is in custody on $1 million bail and is scheduled for an arraignment today, Monday, May 4, 2015, at 1:30 p.m. in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana.

In the late evening hours on April 28, 2015, Cervantes is accused of entering the home of the victim, whom he previously had a romantic relationship with. Jane Doe had left her home with their 7-year-old and 6-year-old sons during that time. Cervantes is accused of hiding in the bathroom. Continue reading→

Man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend, who was a CSUF student

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Samuel Agustin Lopez

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 07NF2414

Date: March 3, 2015

MAN CONVICTED OF 1994 STABBING MURDER OF EX-GIRLFRIEND AND LOCKING HER BODY IN TRUNK OF HER CAR

SANTA ANA – A man was convicted today of stabbing and murdering his ex-girlfriend and locking her body in the trunk of her car in 1994. Samuel Agustin Lopez, 43, Placentia, was convicted by a jury of one felony count of murder and a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon. He faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in state prison at his sentencing on May 1, 2015, at 9:00a.m., inDepartment C-34, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

Samuel Lopez’s cousin, Xavier Francisco Lopez, 43, Anaheim, is charged with one felony count of special circumstances murder involving the infliction of torture. He faces a maximum sentence of life in state prison without the possibility of parole and is scheduled for jury trial on March 20, 2015, in Department C-34, Central Justice Center. Continue reading→