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Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: SAPD

A man was arrested after allegedly setting fires behind Saddleback H.S.

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A man set multiple fires along the bike trail behind Saddleback High School, in the 900 block of West Alton Avenue, in Santa Ana early on Thursday morning, at about 1 am., Nov. 26, according to the OCFA.

Residents and SAPD police officers used garden hoses to protect the homes that were at risk as OCFA firefighters put out the blaze.

The combined efforts succeeded in putting out the fire and the homes and backyards were saved.

The SAPD arrested a male suspect who was nearby in connection with the fires, but his name was not revealed. The SAPD has not yet established a motive. The OCFA and SAPD are investigating.

The SAPD is searching for two women who defaced statues at a Buddhist Temple

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On 11/22/2020, the wanted female suspects entered the Hu’o’ng Tich Buddhist Temple’s property and defaced several statues by use of spray paint, at 4821 W. 5th Street, Santa Ana.

Suspect 1: Female wearing a blue “Patriots” beanie, facemask, blue jacket, gray sweatpants and black and white shoes.

Suspect 2: Female wearing a black beanie, facemask, black sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and black and white shoes.

Anyone with information on the identity / whereabouts of the suspects are asked to contact Detective Wilson at RashadWilson@santa-ana.org / (714) 245-8551 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS

The SAPD will be conducting a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint on Wed., Nov. 25

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Santa Ana, California – Santa Ana Police Department will hold a DUI Checkpoint on Wednesday, November 25, 2020, from 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM at an undisclosed location within the Santa Ana city limits.

Checkpoint locations are chosen based on a history of DUI crashes and arrests. The primary purpose of checkpoints is not to make arrests, but to promote public safety by deterring drivers from driving impaired.

During the checkpoint, officers will look for signs that drivers are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

“The safety of our community is and always will be our top priority,” said Chief of Police David Valentin. “During this unprecedented time due to the pandemic, our Department personnel have continued to focus on proactively addressing impaired drivers.”

The Santa Ana Police Department reminds the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Some prescription medication or over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving. Always follow directions for use and read warning labels about driving or “operating heavy machinery,” which includes driving a car. While medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.

If you plan on drinking or taking medications that may impact your ability to drive safely, plan on staying at home.

Drivers charged with DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended license.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Santa Ana police oversight community feedback survey

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What kind of oversight should the Santa Ana Police Department have? At the direction of the Santa Ana City Council, the City has created a survey to find out the community’s views on police oversight.

The survey is on the City of Santa Ana website at www.santa-ana.org/cm/police-oversight and is available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. All members of the public are encouraged to participate.

At the June 16, 2020, City Council meeting, the City Council directed staff to prepare an informational report providing examples of police oversight models in place across law enforcement agencies in the United States. More specifically, the City Council directed staff to explore best practices for police oversight, identify various models of oversight, and evaluate the various frameworks.

The City Council had a follow-up discussion on Sept. 15, 2020, and directed staff to conduct additional research and outreach, including launching a feedback survey. City officials plan to return to the City Council on Dec. 15 with additional research and a presentation of the survey results.

For more information and to take the survey, please visit www.santa-ana.org/cm/police-oversight.

Encuesta sobre Supervisión Policial

¿Qué tipo de supervisión debería tener el Departamento de Policía de Santa Ana? Bajo la dirección del Concejo Municipal de Santa Ana, la Ciudad ha creado una encuesta para conocer las opiniones de la comunidad sobre la supervisión policial.

La encuesta se encuentra en el sitio web de la Ciudad de Santa Ana en www.santa-ana.org/cm/police-oversight y está disponible en inglés, español y vietnamita. Se anima a todos los miembros del público a participar.

En la reunión del Concejo Municipal del 16 de junio del 2020, el Concejo Municipal ordenó al personal que preparara un informe con ejemplos de modelos de supervisión policial implementados en las agencias de aplicación de la ley en los Estados Unidos. Más específicamente, el Concejo Municipal ordenó al personal que explorara las mejores prácticas para la supervisión policial, identificara varios modelos de supervisión y evaluara los diversos marcos.

El Ayuntamiento tuvo una conversación de seguimiento el 15 de septiembre del 2020 y ordenó al personal que realizara investigaciones y actividades de divulgación adicionales, incluido el lanzamiento de una encuesta de comentarios. Los funcionarios de la Ciudad planean regresar al Concejo Municipal el 15 de diciembre con una investigación adicional y una presentación de los resultados de la encuesta.

Para obtener más información y realizar la encuesta, visite www.santa-ana.org/cm/police-oversight.

Khảo sát Phản hồi của Cộng đồng về Giám sát Cảnh sát

Sở Cảnh sát Santa Ana nên có hình thức giám sát nào? Theo chỉ dẫn của Hội đồng Thành phố Santa Ana, Thành phố đã có một cuộc khảo sát để tìm hiểu ý kiến của cộng đồng về giám sát cảnh sát.

Cuộc khảo sát có trên trang web của Thành phố Santa Ana tại www.santa-ana.org/cm/police-oversight và có trong tiếng Anh, tiếng Tây Ban Nha và tiếng Việt. Chúng tôi mong rằng tất cả thành viên của cộng đồng đều tham gia khảo sát.

Tại cuộc họp Hội đồng Thành phố ngày 16 tháng 6 năm 2020, Hội đồng Thành phố đã chỉ dẫn nhân viên chuẩn bị một báo cáo đầy đủ thông tin, nêu các ví dụ về các mô hình giám sát cảnh sát tại các cơ quan thực thi pháp luật ở Hoa Kỳ. Cụ thể hơn, Hội đồng Thành phố đã chỉ dẫn nhân viên tìm các phương pháp giám sát cảnh sát tốt nhất, xác định các mô hình giám sát khác nhau và đánh giá các khung chương trình khác nhau.

Hội đồng thành phố đã có một cuộc thảo luận tiếp nối vào ngày 15 tháng 9 năm 2020 và chỉ dẫn nhân viên tiến hành tiếp ngoại và khảo sát bổ sung, bao gồm cả việc khởi xướng một cuộc khảo sát phản hồi. Các viên chức Thành phố dự kiến gửi lại Hội đồng Thành phố kết quả khảo sát bổ sung và bản trình bày kết quả khảo sát vào ngày 15 tháng 12.

Để biết thêm thông tin và tham gia cuộc khảo sát, vui lòng truy cập www.santa-ana.org/cm/police-oversight.

A fire was put out after a car ran into a Santa Ana building

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Firefighters wer e at the 2000 block of W. 1st St. in Santa Ana for a fire incident.

Firefighters quickly knocked down a fire caused by a vehicle that ran into a building and prevented extension into business.

Assistance provided by the Santa Ana Police Department.

77 street racing citations and 6 arrests were made in Orange County this week

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The SAPD, in partnership with other agencies as part of STEARRD (Selective Traffic Enforcement Against Reckless Driving) program conducted additional street racing enforcement this week.

From 11/12 – 11/14 their enforcement efforts resulted in 77 Cites, 14 Impounds, 6 Street Racing Related Arrests, 10 Spectator Arrests and 4 Unrelated Arrests.

The SAPD has a zero tolerance policy for reckless driving / street racing and has made this issue a top priority. These activities have proven to be deadly and they pose a clear and present threat to public safety on our streets

The SAPD seized several handguns during a warrant search

Posted on by Posted in Guns, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

While serving a search warrant in the area of the 1100 block of N. Western, SAPD Gang Detectives recovered two loaded 9mm caliber semi-auto handguns, 1 loaded .380 caliber semi-auto handgun & several loose rounds of various ammunition.

The suspects were not identified by the SAPD. If the suspects had records and were on probation they could be facing serious additional charges.

The SAPD is looking for an armed transient

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Suspect Jose Francisco Armas, a 29-year-old transient, has an outstanding $100,000.00 bail arrest warrant issued for him for carrying a dirk/dagger.

Armas is a transient and is known to frequent the area of McFadden Avenue and Standard Avenue.

Anyone with information on Armas’ whereabouts is asked to contact Santa Ana Police Department Communications at (714) 245-8049.

A dead body was found at a brush fire by the Santa Ana River

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On Thursday, November 19th, 2020, at 3:26 a.m., Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) personnel responded to a call of a brush fire along the Santa Ana riverbed trail, near the 3000 block of West First St. Firefighters located a small fire in shrubbery which was quickly extinguished.

The partially burned body of a deceased male was then located within the shrubbery. SAPD was notified of the suspicious death and SAPD Homicide Detectives assumed the investigation.

The circumstances surrounding the male’s death are currently being investigated. The identity of the male remains unknown pending identification by the Orange County Coroner’s Office.

Detectives are attempting to identify and locate any witnesses who can shed light on this incident.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call SAPD Homicide Section Detectives at (714) 245-8390, or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.

The SAPD is looking for a Raiders fan who stole a car

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

On 10/31/2020 at approximately 9:14 PM, the victim parked his vehicle in the front parking lot of the 900 block of East 1st Street and left the keys inside the vehicle. The wanted suspect entered the victim’s vehicle and fled East through the parking lot to Standard Avenue. The vehicle has since been recovered.

Suspect Description: Male, Hispanic, 25-30 years old, medium to heavy build, black curly hair, black hair on chin. Last seen wearing a Raiders ball cap, black Nike hooded sweater and dark blue jeans.

Anyone with information on the identity / whereabouts of the wanted suspects is asked to please contact Detective B. Romero at (714) 245-8529 or BRomero@santa-ana.org

The SAPD seized more guns and drugs over the weekend

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SAPD Directed Patrol police officers stopped a vehicle in the area of 3300 S. Main St. on Sunday. During a search of the front passenger who was on parole, officers located a firearm inside his backpack.

Gang Detectives stopped a vehicle for traffic violations in the area of the 55 Freeway and MacArthur Blvd. Detectives contacted the driver of the vehicle and noticed a small amount of methamphetamine on the floorboard. A loaded AR 15 rifle with extended mags, 1/2 pound of methamphetamine, and $1,700.00 in US Currency was located in the trunk of the vehicle.

SAPD MET Detectives were conducting crime suppression in the area of Edinger Ave. and Standard Ave. and stopped a vehicle for traffic violations. The driver was found to be on federal probation and in possession of drug paraphernalia. Detectives searched the vehicle and recovered a loaded semi-automatic handgun under the passenger’s seat.

Gang Detectives stopped a vehicle for minor traffic violations. The front passenger in the vehicle immediately fled on foot while the female driver stayed in the vehicle. While apprehending the suspect, a loaded semi-automatic pistol fell out of his waistband. The driver of the vehicle was in possession of one ounce of methamphetamine.

While conducting a traffic stop, Gang Detectives recovered a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a large quantity of methamphetamine from inside the vehicle.

While responding to a call of a domestic dispute, SAPD Patrol Officers determined a man who lived there was on probation for being in possession of a firearm. Two firearms were recovered from the residence.

All suspects involved were arrested for felony and firearm violations.

The SAPD highlights the murder of Andrew Loera in a new video

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This month’s segment of the SAPD’s “For the Record: A Homicide Spotlight” highlights the murder of Andrew Loera.

Andrew Loera

Loera and his friend were at a party at 2020 S. Eastwood Avenue where they were both assaulted.

Loera’s injuries were severe and he was pronounced deceased just after midnight.

Detectives encourage anyone with information regarding this case to come forward and help bring closure to family/friends. Anyone with information is asked to contact Homicide Detective McLeod at (714) 245-8390.

Stay tuned for the next SAPD segment to be released on December 13.

Santa Ana man arrested on child porn charges

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Roberto Tiro, 31, was arrested on November 12, 2020, for a felony charge of possession and control of child pornography.

Santa Ana Police Department Civilian Investigator, assigned to Special Investigations, received multiple CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicating that Tiro utilized a social media site to upload electronic files containing child pornography. The SAPD Civilian Investigator subsequently identified Tiro after executing online and residential search warrants.

The investigation revealed that Tiro sent over 600 pornographic images involving young children. The investigation also uncovered thousands of images of child erotica and child pornography stored by Tiro.

SAPD personnel, along with members of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Taskforce, executed a search warrant at Tiro’s residence in the City of Santa Ana. The search warrant reaffirmed the suspicion that Tiro was storing approximately 1,000+ sexually explicit files in a data storage device located in his home.

The SAPD Civilian Investigator is a member of the Los Angeles Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce (ICAC) – a task force dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of persons involved in child abuse and exploitation involving the internet https://www.icactaskforce.org/

The SAPD is looking for a woman who assaulted an elderly man

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On 10/21/2020, at approximately 8:04PM, a female suspect contacted the victim in front of his apartment complex, located at the 3000 Block of West 1st Street.

The suspect appeared to be agitated as she asked the victim for money. The victim did not know the suspect and had never seen her before. The victim refused to give her money and told her to leave. The suspect then grabbed him by the shirt and punched him several times in the face and head using both fists. The suspect walked away from the location in an unknown direction.

Suspect Description: Female/Black/Adult, 5’02”-5’04”, 20-30 years old, heavy set, pink jacket, tan leggings

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Cpl. Angel at (714) 245-8404 or DAngel@santa-ana.org.

The SAPD is looking for a suspect who robbed an elderly laundromat worker

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On November 6, 2020, at approximately 8:30 am, a suspect entered a laundromat located at 1200 Block East McFadden and watched the other patrons play video games.

An elderly female employee walked past the suspect and attempted to enter the office. The suspect approached the victim from behind as he removed a knife from his person. The suspect pushed the victim to the ground and pinned her down as he cut her fanny pack from around her waist.

The suspect fled from the location and was last seen running northbound through the parking lot.

Anyone with information on the identity/whereabouts of the wanted suspect is asked to contact Detective Prewett at (714) 245-8323 orDPrewett@santa-ana.org