Tatsuhiko Sakamoto, 37 of Arcadia, was charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony drunken driving and driving with a blood-alcohol level above .08. He allegedly drove onto a closed freeway in Baldwin Park while drunk and killed a 21-year-old road worker named Connor McDermott Penhall. Penhall is son of hall of fame motorcycle racer and actor Bruce Penhall.
Arcadia man Tatsuhiko Sakamoto, 37, pleaded not guilty to fatally hitting 21-year-old road worker Connor McDermott Penhall, in Pomona Superior Court yesterday. The crash happened April 4, 2012, when Sakamoto allegedly drove onto a closed part of the 10 Freeway in Baldwin Park, while drunk. He will next appear in court June 27 to set a date for his preliminary hearing.
The Arcadia Police Department has filed murder charges against Lisa Melinda Welchert, an alleged drunk driver involved in a fatal accident on Huntington Drive which killed John Chan.
Lisa Welchert, who crashed into a station wagon, killing John Chan, while driving drunk, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
After actor Mel Gibson was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol, he went into an anti-Semitic tirade. Rabbi Devora Fond of Congregation Shaarei Torah in Arcadia comments, "I believe that when you are drunk, what you truly believe comes out."
The California Highway Patrol freeway pursuit of suspected drunk driver Alexander Contreras led to the death of an innocent bystander, Michael Kim, 20, of Arcadia.
A San Bernardino teen is arrested following crash. Arcadia police find the fatal hit-and-run suspect, a 17-year old boy, hiding in the bushes after pedestrian, a 28-year-old man, is killed crossing Huntington Drive. The suspect drove a gray Dodge Charger, which was found in the 1200 block of Oakhaven Road, with front end damage and a broken windshield.
The family of John Chan, the 44-year-old Arcadian who was killed by Lisa Welchert in a drunk driving traffic accident, filed a claim against the City because they feel the police officers left Welchert apparently passed out in her car and returned to their patrol cars, allowing her to escape from the police in her automobile.
Duarte man Ernesto Melgarejo Garcia, 50, accused of driving under the influence (DUI), manslaughter, in crash that killed his wife. The solo vehicle crash took place along Chantry Flat Road at northern edge of Arcadia at 10;30 AM on Saturday, December 23, 2017.
Recreation Department Easter Egg event. Two boys and a girl seem to have been each awarded an Easter basket by a man. Onlookers are behind a fence. Names listed on back of photo: Jack Wiltse, Georgia Emmett, Ken Scott, James Edward Connor.
A high speed police chase that began in Pasadena, then went through Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte and several other San Gabriel Valley cities, ended in the driving crashing into another car. The suspect was Edgar Angarita, 45, of Hollywood and the 21-year-old woman from Baldwin Park that he crashed into, are both being treated at the hospital. Police say Angarita was intoxicated. The chase occurred Monday, January 24. He is being held on suspicion of felony evading a police officer, but additional charges may be coming.
Lisa Melinda Welchert was convicted on charges related to an Arcadia traffic fatality on February 9, 1999 that killed John Chan. The police were not held liable.