Ryn Gargulinski

Creativity on Fire

tucson police

Candy Store Show Club killer never caught, family of victim Angel Martinez keeps memory, hope for justice alive

Native Tucsonan Angel Martinez was a young man with a bright smile and plans for an even brighter future, his sister said – but all light was snuffed out when the 20-year-old was fatally shot in front of the Candy Store Show Club last year.

Angel Martinez/submitted photo

Although nearly 13 months have passed since his Oct. 28, 2009, murder, his sister Melissa Carrasco, other family members and friends are bent on a twofold mission.

They are determined to keep his memory alive – and they are equally as determined to get his killer behind bars.

The first part of their mission continues Sunday, Nov. 21, with a memorial march for Angel Martinez from 10 a.m. to noon. The march starts in front of the Candy Store, 1104 S. Craycroft Rd, and ends in Reid Park. Other events in his honor have included last month’s successful basketball tournament.

“We want to show the community that Angel was a caring person who touched many of us in different ways,” Carrasco said of her brother, known for his “huge bear hugs” and “great big smile with cute dimples.”

The second part of their mission is a bit trickier.

Although the suspected shooter, Cliffton Martinez, was arrested mere hours after Angel was fatally wounded, the case was thrown out when a key witness faltered and said he could no longer identify Cliffton as the main shooter, Carrasco said.

Case dismissed.

Looking over Cliffton’s criminal record, which includes a two-year prison sentence for a weapons misconduct charge, one sees several dismissals.

Cliffton Martinez/AZ Dept of Corrections photo

While the Arizona Department of Corrections noted Cliffton did not squeak by without serving some prison time until his Nov. 2008 release, he managed to slide through several charges with a paltry penalty or none at all.

To be fair, the Arizona Judicial Branch website does reveal a few guilty charges, including one with jail time, for his consistent underage consumption of alcohol and equally consistent habit of having liquor in a vehicle.

But other charges blew away with the wind.

No valid license. Failure to show valid license or identification. Liquor in vehicle. Another liquor in vehicle. Underage alcohol consumption. Improper light on license plate.

Dismissed, dismissed, dismissed.

An April 2009 traffic stop, where he ended up with five citations including speeding, not having a valid license and failure to stop on a peace officer’s command, resulted in a few fines.

Even though some of the charges are minor, like improper light on a license plate, the guy seems adept at skimming through the system. Perhaps it’s not a surprise he shimmied through once again, even on a first-degree murder charge.

Although Cliffton was in jail for nearly a year after Angel’s death, he was set free just before the trial.

“Since then, our family has teamed up with 88-CRIME and we have posted flyer’s around town in hopes to have someone come forward with more detailed information regarding the night he was murdered,” Carrasco said.

The initial Tucson Police Department news release said Angel had been inside the Candy Store speaking with two men and, when he went to leave, he was confronted by several other men who had also been inside the club. Police believe the suspects are active gang members and gang unit detectives joined the investigation.

Angel, who was one of six kids, was always someone people could count on, his sister added, whether it be his family, friends, teachers or employers.

As a junior in Tucson High School he worked for El Rio Community Center.

“He instantly found a love for his job as a referee in sports and then later as a recreational worker for the young KIDCO children that attended,” his sister said, adding he was into basketball himself. “He was a great role model and a mentor to them.”

After graduating high school in 2008, Angel enrolled in Pima Community College where he was aiming to major in engineering. But he also had a creative side.

“He enjoyed…all aspects of music including making his own music as an upcoming and inspiring artist,” Carrasco said. “He was also inspired to one day open up a clothing line with many sketches and designs left behind that our family hopes to one day fulfill for him.”

“He was a genuine and sincere young man that was always trying to help others in need in one way or another.

“We are to determined to seek justice for my brother’s death and will not stop searching for ways till justice is served.”

[tnipoll]

What do you think?

Are too many cases dismissed, dismissed, dismissed?

Have you ever had a case dismissed?

Did you know Angel Martinez? Please comment below.

Tucson police cuts? You bet. No layoffs but plenty of frustration, reductions in wake of Prop. 400 failure

The Tucson Police Department will be tightening its already overloaded belt in the wake of the of the recent election results.

Tucson police/Ryn Gargulinski

But we saw that coming.

A majority 62 percent voted no to Proposition 400, which would have led to a one-half cent increase in Tucson city sales tax to help fund “core” services – things like firefighters and cops.

Please try not to start any blazes or create any mayhem or traffic crashes during these tough times.

While Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villaseñor promised no layoffs of commissioned personnel in his Nov. 3 memo to City Manager Mike Letcher, he did note other reductions in service that will kick in Dec. 5.

These reductions are hitting when the Tucson police force is already at nearly the lowest it has been in the past 10 years – with 145 fewer sworn members than a mere two years ago.

Welcome to the new Tucson.

On the flipside, frustration is through the roof.

“There has been a palpable increase in the use of psychological services by all members of the department, both sworn and non-sworn,” Villaseñor wrote in the memo.

“Feedback from a wide cross-section of employees over the past several months through our internal audit process has increasingly pointed toward frustration of being asked to do more with less, and simply being unable to meet the expectations of the public due to decreased staffing.”

Welcome to the new America.

Emergency calls, of course, will remain a top priority, as will follow-up investigations that serve to put the bad guys – or gals – behind bars.

That means some other stuff has got to go.

The number of traffic division cops will go down, moving 20 officers from traffic duties to patrol squads.

“Only collisions with injury, those with suspected impaired drivers, or those blocking the roadway will generate a police response, with the remainder being directed to Internet or callback reporting,” the memo said. Additionally, the Arizona Department of Public Safety will once again be overseeing enforcement of commercial vehicle codes within city limits.

A number of bicycle officers will bite the dust, with 26 of them moved to patrol squads.

“This will restrict the current proactive response capability of field divisions to address neighborhood nuisance issues.”

Seven officers assigned to recruiting and academy functions are moving from their current functions into the field, “reducing the department’s training and future hiring capabilities.”

Five detectives are going from their current assignments with the Office of Internal Affairs to vacant detective positions with the Property Crimes and the Crimes Against Persons divisions. Internal Affairs will be reorganized “to ensure the continued vigorous investigation of both internal and external complaints.”

When all the dust is settled from the changes, coupled with the inability to fill vacant positions that arise, the Tucson police force is expected to be at 200 fewer members than it was in 2008.

“At best, the department can add as many as 50 new positions in addition to attrition each budget year if fully funded to do so,” Villaseñor writes. “A concerted effort to return to staffing levels of November 2008 would take a minimum of five to six fully funded years from the beginning of such an effort.”

Ouch.

“As the department moves forward with these changes I expect that there will be considerable frustration from our community. While I intend to remain as responsive as possible to the needs of the community the department simply cannot meet all of the commitments we have met in the past because of the financial reductions we have already experienced, and more importantly, that we will experience now that we know the result of the elections,” Villaseñor’s memo concludes.

“It is with a heavy heart that I must make these changes, particularly because I fully expect that further, more devastating cuts will need to be implemented in the coming months to address the financial constraints facing the City overall.”

Welcome to the new world.

[tnipoll]

What do you think?

Did you vote yes or no on Proposition 400?

Do these changes sound horribly drastic and ineffective or do they make sense?

Tucson man shot dead for being in 'wrong place at wrong time' – Killer of Julius Lat still on the loose

Julius Lat used to always say he would never make it to age 30, said his fiancée Jessica Catalan. He didn’t.

He instead ended up fatally shot in the head Aug. 6 – at age 24 – with his death following two days later on Aug. 8.

Jessica Catalan and Julius Lat/MySpace photo

While he may be gone, Catalan is making sure he’s not forgotten – and calling on anyone with information to come forward – as Lat’s killer is still on the loose.

Catalan is hoping the full story, rather than leaving the report of his death as a vague “group fight,” might jog some memories and result in some leads.

The story of Lat’s death actually starts two days prior to his shooting, with the death of Catalan’s 35-year-old cousin. The cousin, who lived with the couple, accidentally shot himself. Catalan, Lat and others had spent Aug. 6 at a car wash to raise funds for her cousin’s burial to honor his last wishes.

When Catalan and Lat returned to their home at South Freemont Avenue and East Calle Nevada, near the intersection of South Park Avenue and East Irvington Road, a neighbor told them some guy had been hanging out near their house all day.

The man had moved across the street and was in the liquor store by the time they returned.

“We didn’t know who he was or what he wanted,” Catalan said, adding she heard the guy had been acting suspiciously around the building, changing his clothes in the bushes, sitting on a bench next to a young girl.

Thinking he might have known her cousin who died, Catalan called her cousin’s girlfriend to come check out the guy to see if she recognized him. The girlfriend came by with about five or six guys, friends of the departed cousins, and the girlfriend bolted across at the street to the liquor store to check out the strange man.

“The guys went with her,” Catalan said. “Unfortunately, one out of the bunch was not a well-headed individual.”

She got about halfway across the street, realized she didn’t recognize him and then turned around. But the guys went to confront the strange man.

The non-well-headed friend “was already heated. Emotions were high. Everybody was not taking my cousin’s death very well,” Catalan said. It didn’t help the family learned that, after “busting their butts” with an all-day car wash raising funds for a burial, the cousin’s parents already picked to have him cremated.

Lat walked into this climate, into the group of guys that included five of the cousin’s friends and the man from the liquor store.

“He was telling everybody that’s enough, just leave it alone,” Catalan said of what she heard of the incident. “He said ‘Let’s go back to the house.’” In addition to Catalan, the house contained her three kids as well as one of her female cousins and that woman’s two kids.

Julius Lat and Jessica Catalan/MySpace photo

“There were two women and five kids in the house,” Catalan said. “Julius wanted to make sure we were safe.”

They were. Julius wasn’t.

A man who had been standing off to the side – that didn’t even appear to be part of the fray – suddenly came forward and pulled a gun out of his backpack, Catalan said.

He aimed the gun at the “non-well-headed” cousin’s friend and pulled the trigger.

“He missed that friend, he missed another friend – and ended up hitting Julius in the head,” Catalan said. “His body fell on Suarez Tire Shop property.”

Police were on the scene immediately and Lat was taken to University Medical Center. Once in the operating room, however, surgeons could not operate.

“He started bleeding out of everywhere,” Catalan said. “The IV lines, the puncture wounds, everything. They thought the best thing to do was bandage him up and help him breathe.”

Catalan was still at the scene of the crime at the time, where her anxiety “shot through the roof” and her blood pressure started soaring.

She was taken to University Physicians Center – where she found out she was pregnant with Lat’s child.

She made her way to Lat’s hospital bedside as soon as she was able and stayed there until he was officially declared dead two days later.

Catalan miscarried near the end of October.

All this, and, yes, the killer is still on the loose.

“They got away through the neighborhood,” Catalan said of the two suspects. “There were witnesses but no one is coming forward.”

The initial report from police in August describe the suspects as: “Hispanic males, 18 to 25 years old. One male was 5’ 11” tall and wearing a black Raiders jersey. The other male was 5 7” tall with a thin build, wearing a light colored polo shirt and carrying a black backpack.”

Catalan reminds people they can remain anonymous when leaving any tips.

Her own phone calls to the police went from once a day, to once a week, to now once a month, on the sixth, the day Lat was shot.

The couple only knew each other for about six months, but had no doubt they clicked.

They met through a mutual friend when Lat was released from prison February after serving two years on a burglary charge. The two got tattoos of each other’s names two weeks after they met.

“He was soft spoken, very quiet and reserved,” Catalan said of the Hawaiian native. “I’m very loud, outspoken. He would laugh and say we level each other out.”

Her three kids, too, adored him, looked at him as a role model.

“He was a good guy, a stand-up guy,” she said. “He was all about respect. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Police – and Catalan – urge anyone with information on the suspects to call 911 or 88-CRIME.

Original post at: http://rynskiblogski.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/latjessica21.jpgdead/2010/08/10/shot-down-during-south-side-fight-julius-lat-24/

Dumb Tucson criminals make cop job easier: Bumbling burglars and naive bank robber arrested in separate crimes

Law enforcement is a tough job, but sometimes a few dimwitted criminals come along that make a cop’s job a tad easier.

Bank suspect Brian Sallee/TPD photo

Such was the case this week with an afternoon bank robbery from a suspect who appears to have taken hairstyling tips from pop sensation Justin Bieber, and a brazen yet bumbling burglary attempt by suspects who perhaps could use some of those hairstyling tips.

Tucson police arrested the afternoon bank robber Oct. 27 while Pima County sheriff deputies nabbed a trio of brazen burglars Oct. 24, one of whom drove a forklift through a wall to enter a business and another who fought with a sheriff canine, according to news releases from the respective agencies.

The robbery suspect, a Bieber-banged young man, evidently didn’t have much sense when he decided to rob a bank.

In the middle of the afternoon.
In the middle of town.
With no weapons but a demand note – and very slow reflexes coupled with few observational skills.

The would-be robber also picked a branch of the Pima County Federal Credit Union at 3730 N. Stone Ave, a scant 4 miles north of Tucson Police headquarters.

As with many banks, the credit union was equipped with a hold-up alarm, which sends out a 911 to police that a robbery is in progress.

Police were on the scene within one minute to find the suspect still standing there at a teller window.

Brian Maxwell Sallee, 21, was arrested without incident and charged with one count of robbery.

Wesley Wallace/PCSD photo

At least Sallee’s alleged robbery attempt was a bit more subtle than an attempted burglary that went down days earlier when thieves blasted through walls with hammers and a forklift.

Pima County Sheriff deputies were called to the bumbling burglary in progress around 10 p.m. Oct. 24 at a strip of buildings in the industrial area of 3100 block of South Dodge Boulevard.

The exact location of the burglary must have been fairly evident when deputies arrived to find a hole cut through a roll up door.

Randall Gray/PCSD photo

The burglars entered the first business through the hole, went on to drive a forklift through an interior wall to get into a second business and then used hammers to bust through more interior walls to get into a third and fourth business.

“Extensive damage was done to the businesses and warehouse structure,” the release duly noted.

While the Tasmanian-devil approach to burglary may be absurd enough, one of the suspects made the arrest even more absurd by tangling with the sheriff’s canine when the dog found them hiding in crates.

Michael Fink/PCSD photo

Since all three were arrested, his tangling evidently did not pay off.

Arrested were Wesley Wallace, 46; Michael Fink, 48; and Randall Gray, 40. All three were charged with first degree burglary, felony criminal damage, felony theft and possession of burglary tools. The release did not note if they brought their own forklift.

Gray had the addition charge of harming a working animal tacked on for fighting with the sheriff’s K-9.

Best wishes for the canine’s speedy recovery – and the criminals’ speedy prosecution.

[tnipoll]

What do you think?

Are criminals getting dumber?

SWAT standoff with wanted felon ends with tear gas, arrest, after 8 hours, 80 police personnel

Going in with guns blazing has become oh so painfully passé.

Tear gas file photo/Thinkstock

For the second time this month, the Tucson Police Department spent a lot of manpower and time to end an extended standoff with a barricaded suspect, according to a news release from the Tucson Police Department.

This time the standoff lasted more than 8 hours, required two less lethal forms of weaponry and involved up to 80 police patrol, SWAT, hostage negotiation and investigative personnel.

The suspect, Alexander Robert Ramsey, 31, also went beyond the “barricaded suspect” description. He doubled as a convicted felon, former prison inmate and guy with an outstanding felony warrant out for his arrest for violation of conditions of release related to a March armed robbery and aggravated assault in Pima County.

Ramsey, of Tucson, had been released from prison and placed on supervised release in 2006, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections website, after serving part of his 10 year sentence for a 1997 armed robbery.

His Oct. 22 arrest, after an all-night standoff, brought a slew of new felony charges, including domestic violence/kidnapping and unlawful use of a means for transportation.

Evidently prison did not do much to rehabilitate the fellow.

Alexander Robert Ramsey/TPD photo

A 911 call came in from a woman on a pay phone around 10:50 p.m. Oct. 21 reporting her friend was being held against her will by Ramsey, her friend’s estranged boyfriend.

Police were at the pay phone’s location, at East Fifth Street and North Alvernon Way, “in approximately two minutes,” to find the action was a few blocks down. The kidnap victim was outside and Ramsey barricaded inside a home in the 4000 block of East Fifth Street, west of North Euclid Avenue.

Patrol officers surrounded the house and tried to contact Ramsey. Here’s where they learned about the outstanding felony warrant.

Ramsey was not being very cooperative, so the initial 25 to 30 police on the scene called in the SWAT and Hostage Negotiations Unit (HNU).

Adjacent homes were evacuated “out of an abundance of caution.”

Hostage Negotiations tried to communicate with Ramsey from outside and even sent SWAT personnel and Tucson police K-9 inside over the next four hour stretch.

They deducted Ramsey was hiding in the attic. They also deducted, after four hours, he wasn’t budging.

“Flash-bang devices” came next and, although these shrapnel-free grenade-like weapons produce a blinding flash and blaring bang meant to disorient the suspect, Ramsey still stayed put.

Tear gas to the rescue.

Ramsey finally spoke up after about 40 minutes of the tear gas and SWAT personnel got him out of the attic and into custody “without further incident.” No weapons had been found inside the home.

Although Ramsey was not injured, he was taken to a local hospital “as a precaution related to his lengthy confinement within the attic as well as the exposure to the irritating effects of the tear gas.”

He was treated, released and booked into Pima County Jail.

“Ultimately, the responding personnel worked together to achieve the Department’s goal of bringing this dynamic incident to a peaceful resolution with a minimum risk of injury to all involved,” the release said.

Excellent job to Tucson police for handling the situation sans unwarranted violence and following protocol.

But we also wonder if protocol should have exceptions and kid gloves ever discarded.

[tnipoll]

What do you think?

Should ever single “barricaded suspect” be treated the same or should past offenses call for more aggressive action?

Should the kid gloves ever come off?

Potentially deadly SWAT standoff ends with PepperBall arrest, dog bite

A Tucson police SWAT standoff between about 80 police personnel and a Tucson man holed up in a midtown home containing weapons could have easily turned deadly.

Tucson police dog with officer/file photo

It instead ended with minor injuries and an arrest of the suspect, according to a Tucson Police news release.

Suspect Ronald Zimmer, 55, faces charges of second-degree burglary, criminal damage and weapons misconduct, all of which are felonies. He also suffered a small laceration to the head and a bite from a police canine.

Good dog.

The two-hour ordeal began when a 50-year-old woman called police around 2 a.m. Oct. 2 from the Bashful Bandit bar, at East Speedway and North Dodge boulevards, to report her boyfriend had just assaulted her and was now on his way to her nearby home at Third Street and Dodge.

Police were at the Bashful Bandit within five minutes of the call, noted the woman had minor injuries from the reported assault, and learned the woman’s 20-year-old son was home alone.

Zimmer also knew where the woman kept her weapons.

While police were taking her report, Zimmer was allegedly busy forcing his way into her townhouse in the 3700 block of East Third Street and grabbing at least one gun.

The woman’s son fled from the house with no injuries.

Police arrived at the townhouse to find Zimmer standing in the driveway with a rifle, which he shot into the air before returning to the house and barricading himself inside.

The negotiations began.

Officers on the scene as well as an on-duty Hostage Negotiations Unit member from another patrol division tried to negotiate with Zimmer on the phone and through a public address system.

No go.

Rather than respond to negotiations, Zimmer instead reportedly fired several shots inside the house.

By this time a K9 team and SWAT personnel were also on the scene and a call went out for addition SWAT members.

Before more members arrived, Zimmer suddenly came out of the house with a handgun pointed at his head.

“Several minutes of tense standoff ensued until the officers were able to convince the suspect to set the gun down briefly,” the release noted.

Police then unleashed PepperBall “less-lethal munitions” and a K9 to stop Zimmer from grabbing back the gun.

Zimmer was taken to the hospital to treat his injuries, with his hospital stay followed by a booking into Pima County Jail.

[tnipoll]

What do you think?

Have you seen other SWAT standoffs in action? What was the outcome?

Have you ever been hit with a PepperBall?

Have you ever used non-lethal weapons to defend yourself?