Whittier police have arrested two people involved in a fatal street-racing crash that happened last December, authorities announced Friday.

A car involved in a street-racing crash appears at the scene on Dec. 16, 2016. (Credit: OnScene.TV)

The Whittier Police Department on Thursday night booked Jacob Zamora of Anaheim and Cory Kiefer of unincorporated Whittier, both 23 years old. Each of their bails has been set at $1 million.

Investigators concluded that the two drivers were “street racing” on the 7700 block of Colima Road the night of Dec. 16 when Kiefer’s vehicle lost control and hit another car, killing 31-year-old Natalie Volkoff. Kiefer and Zamora were both arrested that night but were later released pending investigation, according to police.

Murder charges have been filed against both suspects, police said. The two were expected to be arraigned Friday.

The victim was driving with her juvenile son, who survived with minor injuries.

Police were looking for men involved in a string of armed robberies in Whittier and Los Angeles in October, authorities said Tuesday.

The Los Angeles Police Department said officials were seeking the men responsible for robbing three pharmacies: one in South L.A. on Oct. 13, another in West L.A. on Oct. 20 and a pharmacy in Whittier on Oct. 22.

Security video shows the men involved in an armed robbery of a South Los angeles pharmacy on Oct. 13, 2017. (Credit: LAPD)

The first robber in the South L.A. incident — which happened in a pharmacy on the 200 block of West Vernon Avenue — was described as a 20- to 25-year-old black man with a dark complexion, 5-foot-6 tall and around 165 pounds. He may have a disability or injury on his right hand. The second robber was described as a 20- to 25-year-old black man with a light complexion, 5-foot-6 tall and around 165 pounds. The third robber was described as a black man, 5-foot-6 tall and 135 to 145 pounds.

Security video shows the men involved in an armed robbery of a West Los angeles pharmacy on Oct. 20, 2017. (Credit: LAPD)

Police said the armed men took money and medications before fleeing in a charcoal gray four-door BMW with a sunroof.

The two robbers in the West L.A. incident — which occurred in a pharmacy on the 11600 block of Wilshire Boulevard — fled in a vehicle with the same description after taking some cash, according to authorities. The first suspect in that robbery was described as a 20-year-old black man with a light complexion, 5-foot-8 tall and around 165 pounds. The second suspect was described as a 20-year-old black man with a dark complexion, 5-foot-7 tall and around 165 pounds. Police said both had tattoos on their necks.

Security video shows the men involved in an armed robbery of a Whittier pharmacy on Oct. 22, 2017. (Credit: LAPD)

The incident in Whittier — which took place in a pharmacy on the 15700 block of Whittier Boulevard — involved three men, according to officials. They said one of them was seated in a wheelchair as another man wheeled him behind the counter. The man on the wheelchair then stood up and showed a black handgun. The two of them ordered the pharmacy's employees to the ground while a third man filled a black bag with prescription medication.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact detectives at 323-846-6572. Those who want to give a tip anonymously can call 1-800-222-8477.

A father is suspected of driving under the influence and causing a crash that killed his 12-year-old son in Santa Fe Springs Monday evening.

Police investigate a deadly crash in Santa Fe Springs on Dec. 12, 2017. (Credit: OnScene.TV)

The crash occurred when a Ford Explorer attempted to make an illegal left turn and was T-boned by a Ford Flex in the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Dice Road at about 5:30 p.m., Whittier Police Department Sgt. Lawson said.

A 12-year-old boy was ejected from the Explorer. The boy was transported to a local hospital, where he later died, Lawson said.

The boy’s father, who was driving the Explorer, did not ensure the child was properly fastened and made an illegal left turn, Lawson said.

He was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, child endangerment and DUI, Lawson said.

Police have not identified the boy or his father.

Investigators determined the driver of the Flex was not at fault in the crash and released the person at the scene.

KTLA's Alexandria Hernandez contributed to this report.

A 40-year-old man who was killed in a Santa Fe Springs double shooting was the father of 7-year-old twin boys who had just been released from prison and was eager to turn his life around, his brother told KTLA Friday.

Javier Espinoza is shown in a photo posted on a GoFundMe page on Jan. 19, 2018.

Javier Espinoza, of San Bernardino, died after being shot while riding in a Bentley about 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Another man, the driver of the vehicle, was seriously injured in the shooting that occurred along the 9800 block of John Street, according to the Whittier Police Department.

No arrests have been made in the case and authorities did not have a suspect description.

Espinoza's siblings paid their respects near the scene of the shooting Friday and hope for justice.

“He was kind. He liked to help everybody he met," Espinoza's sister, Judith Gurrola, told KTLA.  "He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Jessie Espinoza, the victim's brother, said his brother didn't deserve to die. Jessie Espinoza told KTLA that his brother had served time in prison for a DUI conviction and was hoping to move to Denver with his fiancé.

His family set up a GoFundMe page Friday to help give him a "proper resting place."

Espinoza's relatives said the Bentley belonged to the driver, who was a fellow inmate of his in prison and was also injured in the shooting. They believe the injured man may have been the intended target.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Santa Fe Springs Investigations Division at 562-409-1850 or the department's tip line at 562-567-9299.

A pursuit early Tuesday morning ended when the driver eluding authorities impaled his vehicle on a 605 Freeway guard rail after he lost control of it in Santa Fe Springs.

A rescue crew responds to a car impaled on a guard rail in Santa Fe Springs on Jan. 30, 2018. (KTLA)

The driver was being pursued by Whittier police when he crashed near the Telegraph Road exit about 1:30 a.m., City News Service reported.

Rescue crews arrived to find the driver had fled the vehicle but a passenger was still trapped in the impaled wreckage.

The passenger was eventually extricated from the vehicle and was taken from the scene by ambulance, video showed.

The driver who fled the scene was taken into custody a short time after the crash, according to City News Service.

The off-ramp was closed while crews worked to remove the vehicle and repair the damaged rail.

There was no word on what initially prompted the pursuit.

Police are searching for a man who groped two female members of the La Serna High School track team as they were running through a neighborhood in Whittier Tuesday.

Police are searching for a man who groped two girls in Whittier on Feb. 6, 2018. (Credit: Google Maps)

The incident occurred in the 15200 block of La Serna Drive and was reported to police about 4 p.m., the Whittier Police Department stated on its Facebook page.

The girls were running back to the high school after completing a training circuit when a man who had been hanging out in the area reached out and inappropriately touched them.

He was described as a Hispanic man between the ages of 17 and 23. He was described as being of average height and weight and was wearing a dark-colored shirt and jeans.

The groper was also wearing a black and white bandana on his head and was carrying a black backpack, the Police Department stated.

Anyone with information was asked to contact detective Dineen at 562-567-9283, or call the Police Department tip line at 562-567-9299.

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a felon and alleged gang member accused in the deaths of his own cousin and a Whittier police officer.

Michael Christopher Mejia, 27, smiled and appeared to blow a kiss as he walked into the Norwalk courtroom where the decision was read Friday by Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Garrett Dameron.

Michael C. Mejia appears at his arraignment in Norwalk on Aug. 14, 2017. (Credit: KTLA)

Mejia previously pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one count each of attempted murder, carjacking and possession of a firearm by a felon on Aug. 14, 2017.

Friday’s decision to seek capital punishment comes nearly a year after Whittier Police Department Officer Keith Boyer and Mejia’s cousin Roy Torres lost their lives hours apart on Feb. 20, 2017.

Mejia is accused of fatally shooting his 47-year-old cousin in East Los Angeles early that morning. He then allegedly stole Torres’ car and, about three hours later, crashed it into two other vehicles in Whittier.

When police responded to the crash, Mejia allegedly exited the car with a handgun and proceeded to shoot and kill 53-year-old Boyer and wound his partner, Patrick Hazell.

Boyer was a 27-year veteran of the Whittier Police Department, and the chief there described him as a “hero.”

Mejia was on probation at the time of the shooting and had been released from Pelican Bay State Prison less than a year before.

Days before the incident, he was released from a 10-day jail sentence for violating the terms of his release, one of five such jail stays for the same violation, the Los Angeles Times reported.

He was sentenced to two years for grand theft auto in 2014 and four years for second-degree robbery in 2010.

At the time of his most recent arrest, authorities described him as a “known gang member,” and prosecutors have filed a gang allegation against him. His 2010 conviction included a sentencing enhancement for gang involvement.

The last entry Boyer scribbled in his police notebook while responding to the crash was “Michael Mejia, 1191, Winter Gardens,” a reference to Mejia’s gang, according to testimony presented last June during a preliminary hearing in the case, according to the Whittier Daily News.

Mejia is scheduled to return to court for pre-trial hearing on April 6, and prosecutors indicated a trial could begin in July.

Cypress College canceled classes Monday morning after what school officials described as a credible threat was reported to police.

A security guard is seen at Cypress College on March 5, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)

Students and staff were asked to stay off campus until otherwise notified, the school stated in a message posted its website.

"Police have received a credible report of a possible violence against the campus," the message read.

All classes scheduled before noon will be canceled, but officials hoped that afternoon and evening classes would be held, according to the message.

A 24-year-old man believed to have initiated the threat was taken into custody early Monday morning, Whittier Police Department Officer John Scoggins said.

The suspect's family members, who live in Whittier, contacted police about 7 p.m. Sunday to report they received a text message from the man threatening school violence, the Police Department stated in a Facebook post.

The suspect, who lives in Pico Rivera, stated he would shoot up a school and commit suicide, according to the Police Department.

No specific school was mentioned in the text message, but investigators determined the man was a prior student at Cypress College and contacted school officials.

The school sent out text and email messages Sunday night announcing that morning classes would be canceled, officials confirmed Monday.

The man suspected of making the threats was taken into custody in Pico Rivera Monday morning and was going to be taken for a mental health evaluation, the Police Department stated.

No weapons were found on him or registered to him, Police said.

Anyone with information was asked to call the Police Department at 562 567-9299.

Two males and a female were taken into a custody after a 21-year-old man was injured in a Whittier shooting Friday afternoon, police said.

Police respond to a shooting that occurred in a Whittier alley on March 16, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)

The shooting occurred about 3:45 p.m. in an alley in the area of Philadelphia Street and Greenleaf Avenue.

The victim was taken to a hospital after being shot in the back and is expected to survive, Whittier Police Lt. Bryan Ellis told KTLA.

Witnesses gave officers vehicle and suspect descriptions and soon after police were able to find people and a vehicle matching those descriptions in Pico Rivera.

No further information was released about the shooting or the people who were taken into custody.

KTLA’s Nidia Becerra contributed to this story. 

An investigation is underway into the death of a woman whose body was discovered in a parking lot in Santa Fe Springs early Tuesday, police said.

Police are investigating the circumstances of a woman’s death after her body was found in a Santa Fe Springs parking lot on March 20, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)

About 1:15 a.m., officers responded to the 13500 block of Rosecrans Ave. after receiving a call of a “female down,” according to a post on the Whittier Police Department’s Facebook page.

When they arrived at the location, officers found the woman on the ground in the parking lot, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her name and age have not yet been released. It was not known how or when she died.

No additional details were immediately provided.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to call Detective Rios at 562-409-1850.

Two women believed to be mother and daughter were found dead Monday evening in their Whittier home, authorities said.

A Los Angeles County coroner’s van sits outside a home where two women were found dead on April 23, 2018. (Credit: OnScene.TV)

Whittier police officers responded to the 12400 block of Beverly Drive around 8:48 p.m. after receiving a call that a couple was unresponsive. When they arrived, officers found the women — one believed to be in her 70s, the other in her 90s — and attempted to revive them.

Police said they don’t know how the two died.

“There is no indication of any foul play, no injury, nothing we could see that was noticeable that was related to their death,” said Lt. Jay Tatman. “It’s obviously peculiar to us.”

Read the full story on LATimes.com. 

A homicide investigation was underway in Whittier after a woman was found dead in a backyard on Friday, and a male relative was arrested, officials said.

Police respond to a homicide investigation in Whittier on May 4, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)

The incident was reported about 12:15 p.m. in the 12800 block of Stardell Street, Whittier Police Department officials said in a Facebook post.

Police found the woman dead in the backyard of a home. Officers then arrested a man at the scene who is related to the victim, but police did not elaborate on the relationship.

The suspect had blood on him at the time of his arrest, detectives confirmed. A second woman who was in the home at the time was also being questioned.

No other suspects were sought in the incident and there was no additional threat to the community, police said.

Authorities were releasing few details, it appeared even to loved ones. A distraught family was at the home Friday night, pleading with detectives to confirm the victim's identity.

It was unclear how the victim died, but aerial video from Sky5 showed the woman lying face down and covered in blood. What appeared to be garden tools were lying nearby.

A German Shepherd stands next to a woman's dead body in the backyard of a Whittier home on May 4, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)

"There were a few things that were overturned," Whittier Police Lt. Michael Przybyl said of the crime scene. "It looks like there may have been a little bit of a struggle."

A German shepherd was also seen in aerial video running around the yard and near the victim. The dog was later seen limping after police were apparently chasing it with a rifle-style weapon, aerial video showed.

"The way the dog was reacting to the officers, the officers were concerned that the dog was aggressive," Przybyl said.

Estelle Flores, who lives nearby, said she tried to capture the pet as it roamed the neighborhood but was unable to. "I hope that he's OK," she said.

The dog remained at large Friday night.

Flores described the crime scene as "gruesome."

Another neighbor, Linda Barns, said she was "completely stunned" that a homicide had occurred there.

"I know everybody says that but honestly, it's true," she told KTLA. "You can walk here at night without a problem."

No further details about the victim or suspect have been released.

KTLA's Erika Martin contributed to this report.

A man was charged Tuesday with killing his mother’s caretaker, whose bloody body was discovered last week in the backyard of the home they shared in Whittier, prosecutors said.

Police tape blocks off a Whittier home where a woman was found dead in the backyard on May 4, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)

Alan Bedros Gozukara, 21, is accused of using a meat cleaver to fatally stab the woman, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

The incident occurred around 12:15 p.m. last Friday, May 4, at their residence in the 12800 block of Stardell Street.

Gozukara was arrested later that day, and police said he had blood on him when he was taken into custody.

Investigators previously told KTLA the crime scene made it appears as if a “struggle” had taken place.

Loved ones become emotional as they speak with police outside a Whittier home where a woman was found dead on May 4, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)

Authorities have not released the victim’s name. A group of distraught family members went to the house in the wake of the incident last Friday to plead with detectives to confirm the victim’s identity.

Police initially said the man they arrested was a relative of the victim.

Officials did not release further details about Gozukara’s mother or whether she was home when her caretaker was attacked.

The 21-year-old is expected to be arraigned Wednesday, May 9, prosecutors said.

He could face up to 26 years to life in prison if convicted as charged.

He was being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Chinatown, inmate records show.

Sheriff's officials were investigating after a child custody exchange escalated into a deadly police shooting in Whittier on Monday, authorities said.

An estranged couple was transferring custody of their children, a 4-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy, in the lobby of the Whittier police headquarters on Penn Street at 6 p.m. when the father pulled out a knife and abducted the mother, according to Lt. Rodney Moore with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The man forced the woman into a vehicle and drove to a residence on the 13800 block of Philadelphia Street.

At that point the mother was able to walk away from the vehicle, but the father returned a short time later and removed the girl from the car at knifepoint, Moore said.

A man shot by Whittier police is carried on a stretcher after being airlifted to a hospital on June 11, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)

Whittier police arrived at the scene and were concerned the girl was in danger. That's when three officers decided to use lethal force and fired their weapons, each of them discharging one round, according to Moore.

The man was struck by police gunfire at least once in his upper torso.

He was airlifted to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, Moore said.

None of the suspect's family members or responding officers were injured in the incident.

Sheriff's officials are continuing to investigate the police shooting.

A group of people raided two T-Mobile stores within a few minutes, stealing eight cellphones valued at more than $7,000, and now Whittier police are looking for help finding the thieves.

Police on Wednesday released surveillance video showing one of the robberies, and said one suspect was arrested but others were still being sought.

The first robbery occurred at 11:38 a.m. June 7, when the group snatched four cellphones from public display cases inside a T-Mobile at 10807 Beverly Blvd.

Just a few minutes later, the same group of people stole another four cellphones from a public display case at a T-Mobile store located at 11133 Washington Blvd. in Santa Fe Springs, police said.

The stores are about 2 1/2 miles apart.

The robbers fled in a dark-colored vehicle, authorities said.

Police said one person was arrested and found to be in possession of several of the phones from both stores. That person's identity was not released.

The value of the cellphones at the Whittier store was more than $3,500, while those at the Santa Fe Springs store were valued at $3,500, according to police.

The Whittier Police Department is still attempting to identify the remaining people in the video. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Leffler at 562-409-1857 or 562-244-5490.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly indicated both stores are in Whittier. In fact, one is in Whittier and the other in Santa Fe Springs. The post has been updated.

Police were searching for a Whittier man who allegedly attacked his wife with a chain saw in front of their children then fled on Wednesday.

Officers responded to reports of a domestic violence incident at the couple's home in the 7700 block of Milton Avenue around 3 p.m. and found the woman suffering from traumatic injuries, according to the Whittier Police Department.

Alejandro Alvarez is seen in a booking photo provided by the Whittier Police Department on July 11, 2018.

Neighbors said the victim ran out of her home, screaming for help.

“I heard people screaming," Enrique Avila said. "A lady said, ‘Leave me alone or I’m gonna call the cops.’ And then after that, I heard little kids inside the house.”

Fernando Jauregui, another neighbor, said he saw the victim with cuts on face and neck, and losing a lot of blood.

She was taken to a trauma center in critical condition, officers said.

The woman's husband, identified by police as 32-year-old Alejandro Alvarez, allegedly drove away from the scene in his SUV. But he soon crashed that vehicle, then stole a car that was left running in Mayberry Park, officials said.

He was last seen in the stolen 2004, blue Mercury Mountaineer, authorities said. The four-door SUV has a California license plate No. 8ABD233.

Police described Alvarez as 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 130 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last spotted wearing dark jeans and a brown Hurley t-shirt, the Police Department said.

Officers recovered a chain saw, but the agency said Alvarez should be considered armed and dangerous and urged anyone who sees him to avoid contact and call 911.

Neighbors said he and his wife have lived in the neighborhood about five years and have three elementary-school aged children, who they believe were taken into protective custody.

Area residents described them as a friendly family who socialized regularly and would attend soccer games together. Alvarez worked in construction, and helped with projects at neighbors’ homes, they said.

Jauregui said he’d never heard the couple arguing before.

“Everything is OK,” he told KTLA. “I don’t know what happened.”

Authorities provided no details about a possible motive.

Anyone with information can call detectives at 562-567-9299.

The man who allegedly attacked his wife with a chain saw in front of their children in Whittier was arrested in San Diego County on Thursday, according to police.

Alejandro Alvarez, 32, was "safely taken" into custody at around 2 p.m. in the 3100 block of Main Street in Chula Vista, the Whittier Police Department announced.

Alejandro Alvarez is seen in a booking photo provided by the Whittier Police Department on July 11, 2018.

At about 3 p.m. the day before, officers responding to reports of a domestic violence incident found his wife suffering with traumatic injuries at the family's home. Authorities said they recovered a chain saw.

The victim had run out of the residence and screamed for help, neighbors said.

"A lady said, ‘Leave me alone or I’m gonna call the cops,'" Enrique Avila told KTLA. "And then after that, I heard little kids inside the house.”

Neighbor Fernando Jauregui said he saw the woman losing a lot of blood with cuts on her face and neck.

Responders took the victim to a trauma center, where she was last listed in critical condition.

Meanwhile, Alvarez led officers on a manhunt after fleeing the scene in his SUV, police said. However, his vehicle soon crashed and he stole another SUV left running in Mayberry Park, authorities added.

Detectives learned information about his whereabouts and local law enforcement in Chula Vista found him still in possession of the stolen SUV,  according to the Police Department.

The couple has three elementary-school aged children and has lived in the neighborhood for around five years, area residents told KTLA.

Alvarez was set to be taken to the Whittier City Jail, where officials planned to book him on suspicion of attempted murder, child endangerment, hit-and-run and grand theft auto.

The Whittier Police Department said detectives worked on the case with San Diego County deputies and Chula Vista police.

Alejandro Alvarez is seen in a booking photo provided by the Whittier Police Department on July 11, 2018.

A man suspected of attacking his wife with a chain saw in Whittier had been deported 11 times since 2005, immigration officials said.

Alejandro Alvarez Villegas attacked his wife in their home Wednesday, with their three children inside, according to Whittier police. The 32-year-old then fled the scene in a stolen car.

The woman was transported to a local trauma center where she underwent surgery, Officer John Scoggins said.

“She’s currently recovering and expected to survive,” Scoggins said.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.

A Whittier police officer was charged Thursday with molesting two girls, ages 12 and 15, and investigators believe there may be additional victims.

Francisco Igros, 54, is facing two counts of penetration of a minor and four counts of lewd acts with a child, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a news release.

Igros, who also goes by Frank, was being held on $1 million bond, officials said. He worked for the Police Department since 1995, Sgt. Sam Reed said.

Francisco Igros, 54, is seen in a booking photo released Aug. 9, 2018, by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

The officer became the subject of investigation after detectives from the sheriff's patrol station in Rancho Cucamonga — where Igros lives — were contacted by Whittier police about the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl, the Sheriff's Department said.

Igros was identified as a suspect after sheriff's detectives interviewed the victim and her mother about the assault, which occurred Rancho Cucamonga in April.

Their investigation also led officials to determine there was a second victim.

That girl, 15 years old, was also located and interviewed. She was molested in Ontario, authorities said.

Detectives did not say how Igros knew or met the alleged victims.

Igros was arrested around 3 p.m. Tuesday and booked into the West Valley Detention Center, inmate records show. Authorities did not make the investigation public until Thursday, when the officer was charged.

Lora Nagy, a 41-year-old Rancho Cucamonga woman, was also arrested and is accused of knowing about the abuse without reporting it. She faces one count of child endangerment and was being held on $50,000 bail, the Sheriff's Department said. Nagy was arrested Thursday.

Officials did not provide information on the relationship between Nagy and Igros. However, neighbors told KTLA they were a couple.

The two lived in a home in Ontario with Nagy's daughters and their shared toddler before moving to house in Rancho Cucamonga, the neighbors said.

Investigators believe there could be other victims and asked anyone with information to contact Detective Janna Kovensky at 909-387-3615. Anonymous tips may be submitted via 800-782-7463.

A person died by suicide at the parking lot of Whittier Hospital Medical Center on Sunday, officials said.

The incident, which prompted police and deputies to respond to the scene, happened around 10:30 a.m., according to the Whittier Police Department.

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department had urged the public to avoid the area due to a report of an armed person but noted that the situation had been contained.

Earlier, the agency said a victim was receiving CPR.

Authorities provided no further information.

KTLA's Steve Bien  contributed to this report. 

Important note: If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, please remember help is available through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. It provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also call a loved one, member of the clergy or 911. Additionally, the International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide can provide contact information for crisis centers around the world.