A chance traffic stop last week led to what turned out to be an even more significant interruption of the local narcotics trade than a methodically coordinated operation by the San Bernardino Police Department in conjunction with two other regional law enforcement agencies.
Earlier this month, on a date that has not been specified, the San Bernardino Police Department’s narcotics unit, a member of the department’s K9 unit and a police dog, with the assistance of the area’s mobile enforcement team and San Manuel Indian Tribe patrol officers, descended upon a residence in the 1100 block of West Spruce Street in San Bernardino to serve a search warrant.
More than two pounds of methamphetamine were seized by police during the raid along with an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency, according to the San Bernardino Police Department.
A suspect was placed under arrest on a felony charge. Continue reading →

Frontier Airlines, one of a dozen passenger carriers flying out of Ontario International Airport, will offer nonstop flights from Ontario to El Paso International Airport later this spring.
According to airport officials, the three-times-per-week service to El Paso, which is to begin on May 17, will increase the number of nonstop destinations from the Southern California gateway to 26. Ten of those nonstop flights from Ontario are offered by Frontier Airlines.
Frontier, which already flies from Ontario to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, will increase the frequency of its flights to those destinations. Daily flights to Seattle will begin May 16, while the Houston service will be offered four times a week starting May 17.
“We are thrilled with these new nonstop routes, including our sixth destination in Texas, and look forward to extending our hassle-free Ontario experience to even more Frontier passengers,” said Atif Elkadi, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority. “We appreciate the strong partnership with Frontier, and their continued investment in our airport. The Inland Empire has grown to become the 12th largest metropolitan area in the country, and demand for air travel from Ontario International Airport has surged. And let’s remember that Ontario International Airport is California’s favorite airport.”

The race to represent Loma Linda’s First District on City Council is coming down to the wire, with a mere 8 votes of the 518 counted so far, or 1.54 percent, separating the leader, Ovidiu Popescu, from the incumbent, Bhavin Jindal.
If Popescu’s lead holds, it will reverse Jindal’s vanquishing of Popescu four years ago, when Popescu, who at that time was a three-term incumbent on the council, was displaced by Jindal in a five-person race for the three council positions being contested in what was then an at-large election. Popescu, who was first elected to the council in 2008 and served four years in the capacity of mayor pro tem from 2010 to 2014, placed fifth in the 2020 competition.
Since then, Loma Linda has transitioned to district elections for city council. As fate had it, Popescu and Jindal live within the same district, which set up a rematch between the two. Continue reading →

A Rancho Cucamonga man who was slammed to the pavement in a confrontation with San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies died after the encounter.
The sheriff’s department provides contract law enforcement services to Rancho Cucamonga, functioning as that city’s police department.
On Tuesday morning, March 19, 22 minutes after midnight, deputies were summoned by a nearby resident to the 10100 block of Foothill Boulevard, just east of the Foothill/Hermosa Avenue intersection. The resident reported that an individual was acting erratically, seeking to open apartment and vehicle doors, and that he had pulled the building’s fire alarm.
Deputies responded within minutes, where they came upon a man latter identified as Mohd Hijaz, 32.
Subsequent to the events in question, the department put out a release. It states: “When deputies arrived, Hijaz was located outside seated in a bush, while he yelled incoherently. Deputies immediately requested paramedics to respond and attempted to offer Hijaz assistance from a distance. Without warning, Hijaz advanced toward deputies, who attempted to back away from him. The deputies gave Hijaz multiple commands to stop, but he refused. The deputies attempted to detain Hijaz and a use of force occurred. Hijaz struck one deputy in the face as he advanced toward them. Hijaz was eventually detained and monitored by deputies until personnel from Rancho Cucamonga Fire and American Medical Response arrived at the location. Hijaz suffered a medical emergency on scene and was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.” Continue reading →

Less than a week after 15-year-old Ryan Gainer was fatally shot by a deputy while the teen was wielding a garden hoe and pursuing another deputy after those sheriff’s officers were summoned to the Gainer family home in Apple Valley to assist them in dealing with the youth’s violent autistic outburst, Gainer’s parents filed a wrongful death claim against San Bernardino County.
Attorneys with the law firm of Burris, Nisenbaum, Curry & Lacy filed a claim on behalf of Norman and Sharon Gainer against San Bernardino County. Under the California Tort Claims Act, a citizen or citizens have a six-month window in which to make a claim against a governmental entity he/she or they perceive to have wronged him, her or them. The government then has the option to accept or reject the claim within 45 days.
If the government rejects the claim or does not respond within 45 days, the aggrieved party is or the aggrieved parties are at liberty to proceed with a lawsuit against the governmental entity or its employees. The plaintiff or plaintiffs are required to file such a lawsuit within six months of obtaining the right to sue by having followed the correct claim procedure and obtaining a rejected claim. If there is no response from the government after 45 days of filing a claim, the claimant has a two year-window from the date of the injury in which to file a lawsuit filed against the government. Continue reading →

I and all the world know
What all schoolchildren learn
Those to whom evil is done
Do evil in return.
– W. H. Auden