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VOL. 26,
NO. 74
Slain El Monte police officers identified; investigation continuing By City News Service
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wo police officers who were fatally shot when responding to a stabbing report at an El Monte motel were identified Wednesday, while a memorial of flowers and tributes continued to grow outside El Monte Police Department headquarters and investigators worked to piece together the circumstances of the shooting. The shooting, which also left the suspect dead, occurred about 5:10 p.m. Tuesday at the Siesta Inn at 10327 Garvey Ave., near the San Bernardino (10) Freeway, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which was assisting El Monte police with the investigation. The Los Angeles County coroner's office and the city of El Monte on Wednesday afternoon identified the slain officers as Joseph Anthony Santana, 31, and Michael Domingo Paredes, 42, both of
Upland. City officials said both were married fathers, and both were raised in El Monte. The coroner's office had not released the name of the suspect as of Wednesday afternoon, but he was identified in media reports as 35-year-old Justin William Flores. "It is with heavy hearts that the city of El Monte and the El Monte Police Department announce the passing of Corporal Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana," according to a city statement. "Corporal Paredes and Officer Santana were killed in the line of duty ... while faithfully carrying out their sworn duties. Both officers responded to a possible stabbing at the Siesta Inn where they were immediately taken under gunfire. The two police officers were transported to LAC-USC Medical Center where they succumbed to their injuries," the statement said. "Corporal Paredes and Officer Santana were both
(Left to right) Officer Joseph Santana and Corporal Michael Paredes. | Photos courtesy of City of El Monte
raised in the city of El Monte and had a strong connection to the community they served." According to the city, Paredes began as an EMPD cadet and was sworn in as a full-time police officer in July of 2000. He is survived by his
wife, daughter and son. Santana spent six years working for the city's Public Works Department, then worked for three years as a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy. He joined the El Monte Police Department last year. He is survived by his wife,
daughter and twin boys. "Corporal Paredes and Officer Santana paid the ultimate sacrifice, while in performance of a noble profession, serving the community they loved," according to the city. Police recovered a firearm
at the scene of Tuesday's shooting, said Deputy Brenda Serna of the Sheriff's Information Bureau. Sheriff's Lt. Andrew Meyer said the officers went to the motel in response to reports See El Monte shooting Page 10
LA City Council tentatively OKs law banning bicycle assembly on sidewalks By City News Service
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he Los Angeles City Council tentatively approved an ordinance Tuesday to prohibit people from assembling or disassembling bicycles in the public right-of-way. A motion to have the ordinance drafted was introduced by Councilman Joe
Buscaino and passed the City Council 10-4 on Feb. 8, with council members Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Nithya Raman, Curren Price and Mike Bonin opposed. Harris-Dawson said at the time that the potential law could have gotten him arrested as a child. The ordinance was tentatively approved Tuesday by
an 11-3 vote, with Raman, Bonin and Price again opposing it, but HarrisDawson voting yes. Information about Harris-Dawson's vote change was not immediately available. The ordinance required unanimous approval to pass Tuesday, but it will be considered again next week when it needs a simple
majority support. The draft ordinance is modeled after one already in effect in Long Beach to prohibit the assembly, disassembly, sale, offer of sale, and distribution of bicycles and bicycle parts on public property or within the public right-of-way. Buscaino said it would prevent "bicycle chop shops,"
in which people disassemble stolen bikes and sell the parts on sidewalks. Raman, speaking in February about her opposition to the ordinance, noted that the actions used to justify the ordinance -including bicycle theft and blocking the sidewalk -- are already illegal. The motion was also
opposed by the Los Feliz, Atwater Village, North Westwood and Palms neighborhood councils. Echoing Raman's concerns, the Palms Neighborhood Council said, "the legal tools already exist here. Instead, this motion would make illicit, in most See Banning bicycle Page 10
