Suspect wanted in February La Mirada stabbing incident arrested

Updated: 3/31 3:35 pm 

Link to video posted below to
freelance video recorded at the scene shortly after the incident.

La Mirada-  A Whittier man suspected of stabbing two men at a La Mirada drinking establishment last month has been arrested after deputies investigating the assault located him at a home in Riverside County where he is believed to have been hiding out since the incident.

Gary Johnson, 41, of Whittier was taken into custody by deputies from the La Mirada special assignment team with the assistance of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department SWAT unit on March 17.

Deputies had been attempting to locate Johnson after he failed to return to his home near Uptown Whittier after the February 29 incident at the Golde Brique Inn at 14924 Leffingwell Rd. The bar is located in the strip mall anchored by the Mexico 1900 restaurant

Witnesses allege Johnson became enraged and stabbed two men during the altercation after being told to leave the business by employees. The two victims were treated and released from area hospitals after being treated for their injuries.

Johnson was booked at Norwalk Sheriff's Station and released the same day after a bond was posted on bail that was set at $30,000.

Readers may view freelance video from the scene taken shortly after the incident by clicking this link to OnScene TV.

Schools and some public facilities close to prevent spread of coronavirus

Monday, March 16, 2020

Updated 4:36 pm

CBS 2 LA is reporting two of the confirmed 
coronavirus cases in Los Angeles County are from La Mirada.

La Mirada- Closures of public schools to counter the spread of coronavirus COVID-19 went into full effect this morning for periods of time ranging from two to five weeks depending on the district.

All schools in the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District will be closed through Friday, March 27 including all K-12, preschool, after school, adult and continuing education programs.

Student meals will be made available for pickup at each school Tuesday through Thursday.  

La Mirada News is attempting to confirm the information contained in a post on Twitter yesterday stating that starting today through Friday, March 20, both breakfast and lunch pickup meals will be provided by the district at no charge to all persons in the household under age 18. According to the post, the meals would be available the Multi-Purpose Room/Kitchen of each campus from 7am until 1pm.

During the closure, NLMUSD officials will keep parents updated as further information becomes available.

In the areas of La Mirada near Creek Park that is within school districts based in Whittier, K-8 schools in the East Whittier City School District will be closed at least three weeks through April 3.

Additional information including homework and school meals can be found at this link https://4.files.edl.io/dd96/03/13/20/223735-b3c89411-91d0-4592-a9ed-70a9ec24ef94.pdf

Scott Avenue Elementary and Granada Middle Schools are the two primary schools in the EWCSD serving parts of La Mirada.

High School st udents that reside within the Whittier Union High School District that includes La Serna High will not attend classes for at least three weeks beginning today through April 3. All school-related activities and events are canceled.

City of La Mirada closures

All performances at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts has been postponed through March 31 until future dates are determined for those shows. A list of the affected productions and instructions is available on the theater's website.  https://lamiradatheatre.com/current_events/updates/

Planning for the long-awaited premiere of 'The Sound of Music' on April 17 is still underway. Any changes will be announced as they occur.

All programs that involve a person that is at a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 where self-distancing is not possible are postponed through March 31.

A reception marking the 60th Anniversary of the incorporation of the city that was to follow the March 24 city council meeting has been postponed.

SASSFA's hot meal program has been suspended and instead will be offering frozen take-home meals twice a week beginning Wednesday, March 18.

No changes in operations at Splash! have been announced.

The county library will be closed through March 31.  Due dates will be adjusted.

Biola University

Classes have been canceled through Friday, March 20.  Monday, March 23 classes will resume via remote delivery.  Dorms will remain open and the campus will continue to function in a normal capacity. Biola has an extensive emergency operations plan to fall back on if needed.

All spring sports competitions and related activities have been canceled and conferences and events of more involving more than 150 persons have been canceled through April 30.

https://www.biola.edu/coronavirus

Community Colleges

Cerritos College is on its already scheduled spring break this week. Classes are canceled March 23 through March 29, shifting to an online format of learning March 30.  All campus events are canceled through April 30.   https://www.cerritos.edu/releases-2020/03/EOP.htm

https://www.cerritos.edu/releases-2020/_includes/docs/03/EOP-COVID-19.pdf

Rio Hondo College has shifted all courses and labs online through April 4.  https://www.riohondo.edu/student-health-services/coronavirus/

Mass Transit

All of the local transit agencies that serve La Mirada are reported to be operating a normal schedule today. 

A new round of closures ordered 3/16 4:43 pm

The county public health agency has ordered the immediate closure of all bars, fitness centers, and entertainment centers as well as ordering restaurants to restrict business to take out orders only.

The order is mandatory in all cities as well as unincorporated areas according to KCBS Channel 2.

La Mirada home suffers major damage in mid-morning garage fire

La Mirada News/NewsBeat Photos

La Mirada- A mid-morning fire caused major damage to a La Mirada home destroying the garage producing a cloud of black smoke that was seen for miles in the 14600 block of Excelsior Dr. located near Stage Rd. and Biola Av.

Three engines and a Los Angeles County ladder truck were dispatched along with an engine from Buena Park to the 9:31 am blaze that residents in the area reported seeing after hearing a loud bang or explosion.

Flames were shooting 20 feet into the air through the garage roof when the first firefighters arrived but were still able to knock out the flames in under ten minutes.

County Fire cause investigators remained on the scene attempting to determine the origin until close to 3 pm.

La MIrada News Briefs Feb 29, 2020:

Otero adds endorsements as Election Day nears

La Mirada City Council District 5 candidate Anthony Otero has received the endorsement of John Ojeisekhoba, the Chief of the Biola University Campus Safety unit.

Chief Ojeisekhoba is considered to be an expert in the campus policing community across the country and has received a number of awards and honors for his achievements.  

Biola officers have and full peace officer status while on duty by way of a standing agreement with the Sheriff's Department which outlines the scope of their duties and training officers must possess.

Otero announced also announced on Friday that he has received the endorsement of Public Safety Commission member Narcis Brasov.

Election Notes

Biola University's Chimes newspaper has taken an interest in local council district races and has published the responses to just two questions that were sent to each candidate.

The questions were a) What qualifies you to become a city councilmember? and b) How will you impact the Biola community?

The responses from five of the seven candidates that responded can be found on the Chimes website https://chimesnewspaper.com/47668/news/heres-how-each-la-mirada-city-council-candidate-says-theyll-affect-biola/

Noel Jaimes, also a candidate for the District 5 seat was on hand last Saturday at La Mirada Library which opened one of the early Vote Centers that morning and where KFI 640 AM was giving away prizes and doing live cut-in to mark the occasion.
http://bit.ly/2Tqmax9

From Instagram/John Accornero

In District 3 challenger John Accornero a real estate agent is conceding nothing yet and was seen earlier in the week at La Mirada Blvd. and Rosecrans Av. actively campaigning.  Accornero is seeking to upset incumbent Ed Eng who is looking for a second term.

Courtesy a LMNews reader