HERMOSA BEACH - 2 suspects caught in purse-snatching

A car pulled up to a woman walking in the 200 block of Bayview Drive late Saturday night, said Hermosa Beach police officer Dean Garkow.

A man and a woman got out of the car and approached the woman about midnight. The man wrestled her to the ground, stomped on her foot and stole her purse, Garkow said.

The woman called police, who reported the incident, and a description of the suspects and their vehicle to nearby police departments.

Manhattan Beach police officers spotted and stopped a car matching the victim's description, minutes after the purse snatching, near Aviation Boulevard and Marine Avenue.

Inside the vehicle, they found the victim's purse. The victim later identified the vehicle's occupants as the suspects, said Garkow.

A 16-year-old Hawthorne boy and a 36-year-old Los Angeles woman were arrested on suspicion of robbery, Garkow said.

Hermosa city prosecutors drop charges from 2003 incident

Two men had been accused of resisting arrest in Pier Plaza incident. They had been acquitted on other counts.

By Denise Nix
STAFF WRITER

Hermosa Beach city prosecutors have dropped charges of resisting arrest and interfering with a peace officer against two men who claim they were roughed up by officers.

In December, a jury acquitted the two men, Christopher Briley and Justin Thomas, of some misdemeanor charges stemming from a July 4, 2003, incident at Pier Plaza.

However, the jury hung in favor of the men on the resisting arrest and interfering charges, and a judge declared a mistrial for those counts.

At a pretrial hearing Tuesday, the city announced it was dropping the remaining counts.

"I was quite surprised, to tell you the truth," said Thomas Beck, who represented one of the men.

Prosecutors did not return a telephone call seeking comment.

Briley and Thomas have a federal civil rights suit pending against the city and the officers over the incident. Beck said being cleared of criminal charges will only bolster their civil claims.

Briley claims officers attacked him after he got into a confrontation with someone in the crowd, and his finger was bent, he was hit and then kicked in the head and choked while handcuffed.

Thomas said he was choked as he tried to intervene on his friend's behalf.

The officers claim the men were trying to stir up trouble and incite the crowd against the officers, who were attempting to maintain order. Briley was accused of striking one of the officers.

This incident and others involving Hermosa Beach officers have reportedly spawned a federal investigation into the department, as well as several civil claims against officers.

Police make arrest in MB after stolen van crashes

A transient drove off in a painter's van Monday in Hermosa Beach but crashed into two cars in Manhattan Beach when police tried to stop him.

The man was arrested on suspicion of carjacking, theft and assault with a deadly weapon.

By Larry Altman
STAFF WRITER

A transient drove off in a painter's van Monday in Hermosa Beach but crashed into two cars in Manhattan Beach when police tried to stop him.

The 51-year-old man, just four months out of prison, was arrested after the van rolled over in the middle of Rosecrans Avenue at Park Way, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.

The painter had been working in the 2900 block of Ingleside Drive in Hermosa Beach when someone got into his truck at midmorning and stole it.

The painter struggled with him and was slightly injured.

A Manhattan Beach police officer tried to stop him, but the transient sped away, losing control of the van and striking two vehicles on Rosecrans. The van hit two traffic-signal boxes and rolled over, blocking the roadway, Wolcott said.

The suspect was not injured. The man was arrested on suspicion of carjacking, theft and assault with a deadly weapon.

He was held without the possibility of bail because he was on parole. The nature of his conviction and his name were not available.

One motorist suffered a minor injury in the collision.

Suspect sought in Hermosa truck theft

From staff reports

Police searched around a Redondo Beach park early Tuesday for a man suspected of stealing a truck in Hermosa Beach.

A resident in the 3000 block of Ingleside Drive awakened about 1 a.m. to the sound of his diesel pickup truck's engine starting, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.

He ran outside and watched someone drive away in it.

The resident got into another car and chased after his truck, following the suspect to Dominguez Park at Flagler Lane. The thief abandoned the truck and ran.

Police from Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach searched the area, aided by a Sheriff's Department helicopter.

The man was not found. The resident got his truck back.

Police identify suspects in Hermosa home invasion

Updated: Two men suspected of barging into a home and robbing a woman at gunpoint in front of her children are identified.

By Larry Altman
Staff writer

Two men suspected of barging into a Hermosa Beach home and robbing a woman at gunpoint in front of her children were identified today as Hawthorne residents.

Asi Muimui Sekona, 29, and his cousin, Fine Teumohenga Sekona, 36, were arrested Tuesday afternoon at the end of a chase in Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.

Fine Sekona is suspected of putting a gun to the woman¹s head and demanding cash and jewelry after he and his cousin entered her 35th Street home in Hermosa Beach shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The Sekonas fled, but were caught when police gave chase into a dead-end street in Redondo Beach. Asi Sekona broke his leg when he smacked into a patrol car that blocked his path as he tried to run away.

A previously issued warrant for Asi Sekona¹s arrest listed him as an armed and dangerous felon, Wolcott said.

Asi Sekona was arrested on suspicion of parole violations, armed robbery, kidnapping, possession of a firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was in the hospital and held without bail.

Fine Teumohenga Sekona, the car¹s driver, was booked at the Hermosa Beach jail on suspicion of armed robbery. He was held on $1 million bail.

Police capture suspects in Hermosa home invasion

One man suffers a broken leg while running from police officers. Another man is found hidden nearby.

By Larry Altman
STAFF WRITER

Two men suspected of breaking into a Hermosa Beach house and robbing a mother at gunpoint in front of her children were captured Tuesday following a chase into Redondo Beach, police said.

One of the men broke his leg when he tried to escape on foot and smacked into a police car blocking his path, police said. The other was arrested hiding behind a Jacuzzi in a backyard, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.

The mother was home with her young children on 35th Street near Manhattan Avenue when the two men burst in through her open front door shortly after 5 p.m.

"This is a random deal," Wolcott said. "They just barged right in."

One of the men put a gun to the mother's head as her children watched. They robbed her of jewelry and cash, Wolcott said.

The woman called police as the gunmen fled in a silver Ford.

A Manhattan Beach police officer spotted the car on Manhattan Beach Boulevard at Sepulveda Boulevard. The alleged robbers saw him and sped away, triggering a chase into Redondo Beach, Wolcott said.

The alleged robbers turned onto a dead-end street at Beland Boulevard and Johnson Avenue in north Redondo Beach. They abandoned the car and ran.

One collapsed to the ground when he hit the patrol car and his leg shattered.

Both were quickly arrested and identified by the victim.

Police recovered the alleged gun used in the crime, along with the victim's valuables.

The suspects' names were not immediately available.

Hermosa Beach – Police Log

Sexual Battery: Approximately 4:30 p.m. Feb. 2, 1100 block of Aviation Boulevard.  A woman was pushing her 9 month-old daughter in a stroller when a man walking in front of her turned around and approached her.  The woman said the man grabbed her breast and kept on walking.  The man was described as white, in his early 40’s, 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, brown eyes, brown collar-length hair, dark brown skin with a general dirty appearance, medium build, unshaven, a blue/gray jacket, blue shirt and blue pants.

Assault and Battery: 1 to 1:05 a.m. Feb. 4, 1700 block of Manhattan Avenue.  The victim said that, on the way to a restroom during a party, he was hit twice in the face by one of three males who confronted him.

Hermosa marketing executive sentenced in molestations

In plea deal, Palos Verdes Estates man will go to county jail for 80 weekends for sexual abuse of two boys.

By Denise Nix
STAFF WRITER

A Hermosa Beach marketing research executive was ordered Wednesday to spend 80 weekends in jail for sexually molesting two young males for several years, beginning more than a decade ago.

Scott Douglas Alden, 55, of Palos Verdes Estates pleaded no contest to one count of committing lewd and lascivious acts on a child under the age of 14. A plea deal was struck with prosecutors as his preliminary hearing was under way.

Alden was originally charged with four counts of committing a lewd act on a child and two counts of continuous sexual abuse. If convicted at trial of all those charges, Alden could have faced nearly 39 years in prison, according to Deputy District Attorney Lana Kim.

Torrance Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold sentenced Alden to eight years in state prison, but said he did not have to serve the time if he completes all the terms of his probation -- including the weekend stints in county jail.

Alden, who will be on probation for five years, must register as a sex offender, attend 52 weeks of sex offender treatment and stay away from all minors unless another adult is present.

Alden is the principal of Alden & Associates Marketing Research. According to the company's Web site, he has several degrees, including doctorates in marketing and urban planning from USC, where he has also taught marketing.

Deputy District Attorney Jodi Link said the weekends in jail ensure Alden will serve all the days he is required to. Otherwise, he could be released early because of jail overcrowding.

"It was very, very difficult for the victims, and this brings closure for the victims," Link said of the plea deal.

Alden's attorney, Bradley Brunon, said it would not be prudent for a man of Alden's age to risk the possibility of a long incarceration.

"It was an emotionally wrenching experience for everyone," Brunon said of the case. "It's better to get it over sooner rather than later."

The hearing began Jan. 10, but was continued until Jan. 19 and then Wednesday.

Neither of the victims is being identified because of their ages at the time of the crimes and the nature of the crimes. Their connection to Alden is also not being disclosed to protect their privacy.

The youngest of Alden's two victims, now 23, was very emotional on the witness stand Wednesday as he was pressed by Brunon for details about the molestations.

According to court transcripts, he said the first sexual act with Alden occurred when he was 10 years old. He said he was sleeping in the same bed as Alden, and awoke to find his hand on Alden's genitals and Alden's hand on his.

He also said incidents would occur when they were on trips and during showers.

Both victims said they showered with Alden nearly every other day during a time that they lived with him in Hermosa Beach for several years, starting in 1994.

The older victim, now 26, said Alden would masturbate himself during these showers.

He said it made him uncomfortable. "But, at the time, I trusted Scott and I was young," he added.

Neither victim could be specific about most of the dates and details of the incidents.

The older victim said he made a phone call last year to Alden under the supervision of a Hermosa Beach police detective, during which Alden apologized for the molestation and did not deny it.

During cross-examination, Brunon's questions suggested that the shared showers were done because they all needed to get dressed at the same time and there was not a lot of hot water.

He also asked the victims about their own backgrounds, including drug use and school problems, and falling-outs with Alden that made them angry.

Trial is ordered in Hermosa Beach house crash

Suspect says he was not driving when pickup plowed into a home, injuring a 5-year-old boy. Child was hospitalized for two days following the crash and had surgery to repair a broken femur.

By Denise Nix
Staff writer

It was the dead of night, and Kimmy Kelca was sleeping with one of her 5-year-old twin boys in her Hermosa Beach home when she heard a vehicle peel out.

Then, she said through tears during a court hearing Thursday, she heard it crash through the wall of the room where her other son, Connor, was asleep in the bottom of a bunk bed.

She leaped out of bed and ran to her son's room.

"I saw a truck in the middle of his room," she testified. "I heard him screaming."

The front of the silver pickup truck, allegedly driven by Ruben Vargas, was on top of Connor, Kelca said.

"I could see my son," Kelca said. "His head was pinned. I could see his leg was broken. I thought he was going to die."

Kelca told Torrance Superior Court Judge Laura Ellison that she stood with her hand on the front of the truck, headlights in her eyes. The truck never stopped revving and lurching backward, she recalled.

Suddenly, the truck reversed and the driver took off, she said.

Vargas, 42, of Redondo Beach, was charged with one felony count of leaving the scene of an accident in the Oct. 6 crash in the 900 block of Beach Drive.

After Thursday's preliminary hearing, Ellison determined there was enough evidence to hold Vargas for trial and ordered him to return to court Feb. 1. He remains free on $80,000 bail. If convicted, he would face up to three years in state prison, according to Deputy District Attorney Lisette Suder.

Vargas, who has repeated driver's license suspensions, including one for failing to complete a drug and alcohol program for a driving-under-the-influence conviction, denies he was behind the wheel at the time of the crash.

His attorney, Robert M. Conley, unsuccessfully argued the case should be dismissed because someone else, Irma Carder, 28, was driving the truck.

A witness, who saw the heavily damaged truck in the seconds after the crash and wrote down a license plate number that was very similar to one found at the scene, testified that he saw a man driving. Victor Arrunadegui, however, said he couldn't be positive it had been Vargas because the man's hair was different, though he looked like him.

Sgt. Thomas Thompson said he used a license plate recovered in the wreckage to trace the truck to a residence on Amethyst Street in Redondo Beach.

Outside was the truck. It was severely damaged with bits of stucco in the windshield and a stuffed penguin trapped in the wipers, Thompson said.

Inside the home was Vargas, whom Thompson described as having a "fresh haircut."

Carder also was at the residence, and told police she was driving the truck at the time of the crash and panicked, so she and Vargas switched seats, Thompson said.

However, a jailer overheard her on the telephone telling her husband -- a soldier stationed in Korea -- that she was not driving, according to Thompson. Carder was not charged, Suder said.

Connor was hospitalized for two days following the crash and had surgery to repair a broken femur, which is now being held together by titanium rods, his mother said. She has never returned to the home where the accident took place.

HB council OKs plans for Pavilion development

After lots of revision and discussion, owner Gene Shook can proceed with his upscale restaurant and carwash.

By Andrea Sudano
DAILY BREEZE

After a series of recent setbacks, the owner of the Hermosa Pavilion got a reprieve Tuesday, when the Hermosa Beach City Council approved an upscale restaurant and carwash for the embattled Pacific Coast Highway development.

The panel OK'd developer Gene Shook's unusual combination with a handful of conditions after spending more than two hours hashing out the proposals' finest details and hearing from residents worried about noise and traffic.

Conditions for the scaled-back 6,704-square-foot Stillwater Contemporary American Bistro on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and 16th Street and the car detailing shop inside the Pavilion's parking garage include:

• No live entertainment.

• A midnight closing time for the restaurant.

• 16th Street must be re-striped to limit cars waiting to enter the parking garage.

• The carwash can operate only from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

But the council also permitted some amenities that the Planning Commission took away in August, allowing the developer a 60-inch television in the bar and an outdoor waiting and smoking area.

Tuesday's approval was the first victory after a string of recent losses for Shook.

The council in October blasted Hermosa Pavilion's parking setup and required a new parking study before it would consider Shook's restaurant pitch.

In July, the council required Shook to provide two hours of free parking at the development's garage after surrounding residents complained that patrons park on their streets.

"(Tuesday) was a nice meeting for a change," Shook said. "You never know what to expect, so I was pleasantly surprised."

Victory or not, it could be awhile before Shook gets his restaurant open. He's still waiting for the city to approve his plans and issue a building permit, he said.

About six months of construction would follow, and he must also get a license to serve alcohol from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. "I don't make money in rent and profits until you start serving stuff," Shook said. "So, there's a strong incentive to get it done as quickly as possible."

A fine restaurant would become one of the development's more noticeable tenants.

A two-year remodel of Hermosa Pavilion was completed in June 2005. The major tenants are 24 Hour Fitness gym and Glen Ivy Spa.

Hermosa Pavilion has been plagued by problems since it opened in the late 1980s. The plaza's last major tenant, AMC Theaters, bailed in 1999, leaving the building vacant.

Shook bought the building in 1996.

Hermosa Beach - Police Log

Disorderly Conduct / Assault: 12:59 a.m. Dec. 15, 1300 block of Hermosa Avenue.  A police officer saw four people fighting at Pedone’s Pizza, resulting in the arrest of a 23-year-old man who faces charges for assault, disorderly conduct and vandalism to a police vehicle

Robbery: 1:15 a.m. Dec. 15, 1000 block of The Strand.  A robber took a victim’s wallet after threatening him with a knife, threw the wallet to the ground and then fled with another male suspect.  The victim reported $100 missing.

Robbery: 2:46 a.m. Dec. 15, 800 block of Bayview Drive.  Someone pressed a hard object into the victim’s back, threatening him and demanding his wallet.  The robbers fled with cash.

Burglary: Midnight Dec. 16, to 8:30 a.m. Dec. 17, 1600 Bayview Drive.  Unknown suspect entered victim’s residence and removed money, Xbox games, DVDs and stereo equipment.

The Daily Breeze – December 13, 2006

Hermosa Beach - Police Log

Assault With a Deadly Weapon:1:40 a.m. Dec. 4, 00 block of Pier Plaza.  Someone at the Lighthouse threw a 12-ounce glass at the victim, hitting her in the face.  She required medical attention.  Co-workers of the victim, who was not working that night at the bar, told police a woman who was arguing with the victim threw the glass.

Commercial Burglary:6 p.m. Dec. 2 to 11 a.m. Dec, 1300 block of Hermosa Avenue.  No signs of forced entry; approximately 12 pieces of clothing valued at $2,000 was taken.

The Daily Breeze – December 6, 2006

Hermosa Beach - Police Log

Assault and Battery: 2:33 a.m. Nov. 25, 1100 block of Hermosa Avenue.  A participant in a fight was arrested on suspicion of fighting in public, public intoxication and resisting arrest for allegedly trying to attack another person involved in the incident as he was talking with police officers.  The report noted that the man had to be restrained when he resisted arrest when confronted by many police officers.

Obstruction: 2:33 a.m. Nov. 25, 1100 block of Hermosa Avenue.  A man was arrested on suspicion of resisting, obstructing or delaying a peace officer and public intoxication for allegedly disobeying an officer’s order to step back, yelling at officers to let a man under arrest go and slapping the officer’s are causing a minor injury while the officer was attempting to secure a perimeter at the scene of the fight.

Residential Burglary: 10:35 to 10:39 p.m. Nov. 17, 1900 block of Manhattan Avenue.  A resident heard the voices of two males in the residence, shouted at them to leave and heard them leaving.  Police officers found a trail of muddy footprints and a screw driver that did not belong to the resident.  Entry appears to have been made through a window.

Theft: 6 to 6:15 p.m. Nov. 28, 700 block of Sunset Drive.  A man in a white older model van stopped his vehicle and took a backpack containing school books.  A boy had set the bag down as he was standing outside waiting for his mother to come home from work.

5-year-old hurt when pickup plows into Hermosa home

Two Redondo Beach residents are arrested on felony hit-and-run after a license plate is found at scene.

By Larry Altman
DAILY BREEZE

A pickup truck carrying two Redondo Beach residents crashed through the wall of a Hermosa Beach house early Friday, injuring a 5-year-old boy asleep in his bunk bed in the wreckage.

Either Ruben Vargas, 43, or Irma Lourdes Carder, 28, -- police are trying to figure out who -- allegedly put the pickup truck in reverse, backed out of the debris with a stuffed toy penguin stuck in the windshield, and rammed through seven alley barricades to make a getaway, police and neighbors said.

Police officers tracked down the couple about seven hours later because they left behind a telling clue -- a license plate -- in the debris. Detectives on Friday afternoon were trying to figure out who was behind the steering wheel at the time of the 5 a.m. crash, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.

Department of Motor Vehicles records examined by the Daily Breeze showed that Vargas had repeated driver's license suspensions, including the failure to complete drug and alcohol programs for a driving under the influence conviction. Carder's record was clean.

No one knows what Vargas and Carder were doing at 5 a.m. when the 2002 Chevrolet pickup truck parked in a "no parking zone" on Beach Drive lurched forward about 10 feet and plowed straight into the stucco wall of the back house of Ninth Court.

Five-year-old Connor Kelca was asleep in his bunk bed when the pickup truck barreled through the wall. His twin brother, Cameron, was not in the room; he had crawled into bed with his mother, Kimmy, in her bedroom.

Neighbors, who identified the family for reporters, said the boys' father, Brian Kelca, was out of town.

The pickup truck plunged deep into the structure, trapping Connor with its grille, covering him in crumpled plaster and his bed. One of his femurs snapped.

Neighbor Jacqueline Powels heard the clatter, looked out the window and said she couldn't believe what she saw.

"I saw the truck sticking out the front of the house," she said. "I didn't even imagine he was going to take off."

But the truck did. It backed out and accelerated away. Powels said she watched the truck bulldoze its way down Beach Drive, knocking out the metal pipe barricades that block traffic from driving through from Ninth Court to Second Street.

Inside the crushed bedroom, Kimmy Kelca went to her son's aid.

"It wasn't the kid that was crying, it was the mother that was crying," Powels said.

Paramedics took the boy to County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for treatment. The mother and son had not returned home by late afternoon.

Police officers began searching for the hit-and-run pickup, and tracing the license number of the plate left behind.

Redondo Beach police officers soon found the pickup parked at Diamond Street and Maria Avenue in Redondo Beach, its front end heavily damaged.

A stuffed toy penguin remained caught in the windshield, Wolcott said.

The license plate showed the truck was registered to a Torrance man, but he had recently sold it, Wolcott said.

Officers soon had information leading them to nearby Amethyst Street in Redondo Beach, where they found Vargas and Carder and took them into custody.

Each was booked at the Hermosa Beach jail on suspicion of felony hit-and-run.

DMV records dating to 1997 showed Vargas with seven suspensions, including a current one issued in August for failing to appear in court on a driving under the influence charge.

Vargas' license was suspended for eight years beginning in 1997 for his failure to complete a DUI program, and again Sept. 11, 2001, when he refused to take a chemical test.

City officials, meanwhile, stapled a fluorescent sign on the large planks of plywood covering the smashed bedroom wall, asking the Kelcas to stay out of the room until the city can inspect the inside.

The bedroom's outside wall leaned sideways, its base separated from the ground. Bits of beige stucco had fallen off, revealing silver-colored chicken wire beneath.

Staff writer Andrea Sudano contributed to this story.

Hermosa's Pier Avenue change? They hate it

Test leading into the overhaul of a main artery draws mostly negative comments at a packed meeting.

By Andrea Sudano
Daily Breeze

If there was any confusion about how Hermosa Beach residents like a new configuration of Pier Avenue, it's likely been cleared up.

Nearly three dozen residents and business owners blasted the project Wednesday at City Hall, sending a strong message to city officials that a temporary reduction of the city's main artery from four lanes to two was not going smoothly.

"It's pretty dead to me," Public Works Director Rick Morgan said. "It's pretty clear where it's going."

The tone of the meeting was set quickly Wednesday, when the Public Works Commission chairman introduced the topic as "improvements" to Pier Avenue, and the audience responded with hearty and audible disapproval.

"I do not want to hear boos or jeers this evening," Chairman Victor Winnek told the crowd packed into the City Council chambers and the lobby.

But residents did have their say, and about 30 approached the dais one after the other to slam a project they believe has congested the city's main drag and forced more traffic onto neighboring streets.

As part of a test examining possibilities for an upcoming $2 million Pier Avenue overhaul, the city re-striped the thoroughfare from Bard Street to Hermosa Avenue in early June.

The change reduced two lanes of traffic in both directions to one each way, with a large center turn lane running down the east-west commercial corridor. A stop sign at Bard Street was also added.

Slight modifications were made just weeks later, but the complaints still poured into City Hall, many that were echoed Wednesday.

Residents of Eighth Street said their east-west arterial has bec