Fullerton Police Department

[UPDATED with Third Arrestee Andre Jones:] Marcos Bush and Sjanee R. Duhart Held in Cop Shooting in Quiet Fullerton Neighborhood

See Update No. 2 on page 2 about the arrest of a third person in the police officer shooting.See Update No. 1 on the next page about the charges against and recent attempted-murder acquittal of the suspected gunman.ORIGINAL POST, MARCH 18, 9 A.M.: A seven-year Fullerton Police Department veteran sho ... More >>

Jesse La Tour: The Candidate

See our full OC Weekly 2013 People Issue

Orange County Register Questions Ron Thomas's Nonprofit Status

Questions about the money raised by the Kelly Thomas Memorial Foundation and how it's being spent continue to swirl. Two weeks ago, the Weekly wrote about a scuffle of words between Ron Thomas,  father of slain homeless man Kelly Thomas, and Stephan Baxter, organizer of Art With an Ag ... More >>

[UPDATED with Cops Call It "Mistake":] Javier Ramirez, 7 y.o. Remembered on Facebook Condolences Pages, Counters "I Am Alive"

See the update at the end of this post with police concluding the creation of Facebook pages was not criminal but a mistake.ORIGINAL POST, SEPT. 11, 1:29 P.M.: George Burns used to joke, "The first thing I do is read the obituaries, and if I'm not in them, I have breakfast."Using that logic in the s ... More >>

[UPDATED With City Council Vote:] Fullerton City Council Considering New Police Force

See the update at the bottom of this post detailing the city council's vote not to explore disbanding the Fullerton Police Department. ORIGINAL POST, AUG. 7, 2012: Tonight the Fullerton City Council will consider the possibility of transferring law enforcement duties from the city's embattled p ... More >>

Fullerton PD Officer Joe Wolfe Beat Himself Off the Force in Kelly Thomas Killing

Cue the song "Kiss him Goodbye" by the band Steam: Nah, nah, nah, nah, hey, hey, hey. The city of Fullerton announced today that Joe Wolfe, one of the six officers involved in the savage beating death of Kelly Thomas, has been fired.Wolfe, who helped beat Thomas, is the second officer to leave the t ... More >>

Kelly Thomas Memorial Concert - Fullerton's Downtown Plaza - 7/7/12

The weekend remembrance of Kelly Thomas, the 37-year-old homeless man beaten to death by Fullerton cops one year ago, culminated with the second annual Kelly Thomas Memorial Concert echoing through the city's Downtown Plaza Saturday with eight bands, including OC punk legends The Adolescents, taking ... More >>

Julian Porte Memorializes Kelly Thomas in Song

While others held protest signs outside the Fullerton Police Department last summer, Julian Porte came with a guitar, a harmonica and a song. Small crowds assembled around the Santa Fe Springs-based musician as he sang "The Ballad of Kelly Thomas," about the homeless, schizophrenic man fatally beate ... More >>

Kelly Thomas Remembered at Candlelight Vigil

About 100 people gathered for a candlelight vigil at Kelly's Corner on Thursday night near the downtown Fullerton Bus Depot. The vigil marked the one year anniversary since Thomas, a 37-year-old mentally ill homeless man, was brutally beaten by six Fullerton Police officers at the exact spot.Ke ... More >>

Julian Porte Memorializes Kelly Thomas in Song

[Locals Only] The fiery singer/songwriter finds power in protest

Will New Fullerton City Council Appoint Ex-Sheriff's Deputy Bill Hunt as Chief of Police?

Bill Hunt was one of the few Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) deputies who had the cojones to publicly stand against the corruption of Mike Carona, our sheriff turned convicted felon and present day resident of a federal prison in Colorado.For having ethics and common decency, Hunt saw Caro ... More >>

OC Human Relations Commission Avoids Death...For Now

The draconian and ideological $200,000 slash proposed by Supervisor Shawn Nelson to the county-contracted core budget of the Orange County Human Relations Commission won't be enacted. The Board of Supervisors met earlier today after postponing any action last week and came to a negotiated compromise ... More >>

Anaheim's Cruzaders

Families of police-shooting victims protest their plight

Lawsuit: Fullerton Bar Manager Enticed Police with a Lie Before Officers Beat Kelly Thomas to Death

A fired security guard at the Slidebar Rock-N-Roll Kitchen in Fullerton has filed a lawsuit accusing Lit guitarist Jeremy Popoff, an owner of the establishment, with enticing police to harass Kelly Thomas on the day officers savagely beat the homeless, schizophrenic man to death in July 2011, and th ... More >>

OC Pioneers Who Were Klan Members: Robert S. Elliott and Dorsey L. Ellis, Santa Ana and Fullerton Police Sergeants

Because we're way too nice with police 'round these parts, let's go back to those boys in blue who donned the white hood come sunset.Robert S. Elliott belonged to the SanTana Police Department at a time when nearly the entire department was Klan. The city ordered their police to drop membership in t ... More >>

[UPDATED with Comments From Both Sides:] Tony Bushala Opposes Bootlegger's Brewery Move; Fullerton City Council To Decide June 5

UPDATE, MAY 25, 10:45 A.M.: Tony Bushala sent us an e-mail stating his case. He just bought a single-family home at 219 W. Santa Fe Ave., adjacent to the proposed tasting room property, and he is concerned about the quality of life for his new tenants."The Planning Department made no mention or co ... More >>

[UPDATE: Media Outlets Report More Officers to be Terminated] Ron Thomas Confirms Firing of Cops Who Beat His Son on KPCC's AirTalk With Larry Mantle

UPDATE, May 23, 5:34 P.M.: Citing unspecified media outlets, radio station 89.3 KPCC is reporting that all six officers involved in the Kelly Thomas beating have been given letters of intent to terminate. Be sure to read the original post below for our coverage of Ron Thomas's appearance this mornin ... More >>

Is Tony Bushala OC's Newest Kingmaker?

The founder of Friends for Fullerton's Future blog says his war on bad government didn't start with the Kelly Thomas beating, and it's not over yet

Kelly Thomas Beating Video Shown to his Father but not Mother Due to Court Battle

​The lawyer for the mother of Kelly Thomas, the 37-year-old homeless man beaten to death by Fullerton police officers last July--told a judge today that District Attorney Tony Rackauckas is playing "inexplicable" games with his client's victim rights to access prosecution evidence.According t ... More >>

Jaime Jezzuel Lopez, Who Lured Married Father with Sex Then Beat Him to Death with a Glass Crucifix, Gets Life Without Parole

​Jaime Jezzuel Lopez, who met a man in his Fullerton apartment for sex but instead struck the married father of two several times in the head with a heavy glass crucifix until he was dead, was sentenced today to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Annie Harry, the wife of 45-year-old ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Will Occupy OC Rifts Destroy the Anti-Corporate Greed Protests?

​Despite a reputation for raucousness, some 40 Occupy Orange County members gathered quietly outside of Fullerton city hall last night to discuss the future of the local movement after Wednesday's dismantling of Irvine's three-month protest.While two Occupy leaders outlined negotiations with Fulle ... More >>

What We Learned

The Year on Navel Gazing and Beyond!

Kelly Thomas' Mom Sues DA Tony Rackauckas For Secrecy in Fullerton Murder Case Against Cops

Rackauckas​The mother of Kelly Thomas--the homeless man savagely killed by Fullerton police in July--is suing the lawman who is prosecuting two cops in the case. This week, Cathy Thomas filed a lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court in hopes of forcing District Attorney Tony Rackauckas to re ... More >>

Marisa Gerber, Chingona Cub Reporter, Leaving the Weekly to Go Back Home :-(

Off to better places you go, kid...​For the past three years, the Weekly has given kiddies straight out of college an opportunity to do a six-month stint with us at a reporter's salary. Our first person was Spencer Kornhaber, who wrote THE definitive piece on Birfer queen Orly Taitz, was a staffer ... More >>

Sharon Quirk-Silva Voted In As Fullerton's New Mayor

Sharon Quirk-SilvaTonight, Fullerton got a new mayor.The shift in control comes after months of controversy and disagreement over the city council members' actions -- and inactions -- in the weeks and months after Kelly Thomas' beating death. In a 5-0 vote, Sharon Quirk-Silva became the city's ... More >>

Following in Fullerton's Footsteps? Downey Police Mistakenly Stop, Kill Unarmed Man; Public Protests At City Council Meetings

​A community is crying foul and following in Fullerton's footsteps.On Oct. 22, a Downey police officer gunned down Michael Nida, a father of four who had spent the day celebrating his birthday, according to a Los Angeles Wave story.Police stopped Nida for his alleged connection to an armed robbery ... More >>

[UPDATED with Denial:] Jose Luis Villanueva Tries to Accomplish What His Brother Couldn't: Get Paroled

​UPDATE, NOV. 2, NOON: As happened to his brother Juan Manuel Villanueva on Tuesday, parole was denied this morning for Jose Luis Villanueva, who is imprisoned for the same 1994 stabbing-murder and attempted murdersThere was one difference: Juan, 35, will have a chance to go before the state parol ... More >>

Fullerton College Student Says Cops Wrongfully Arrested Him And Beat Him Up in 2008

​At a council meeting in Fullerton last week, a man said he thought the "flood gates" of complaints against the police department had only just started. Well, it looks like he might be right.A 23-year-old Fullerton College student was allegedly arrested on false charges of public drunkenness ... More >>

Ron Thomas Calls On 'Kelly's Army' to Stop Protesting in Front of Fullerton Police Department

Three months and many chants and honks later, Ron Thomas is calling for an end--or at least a hiatus--to the Saturday morning protests in front of the Fullerton Police Department. Thomas, whose son, Kelly, was beaten to death by Fullerton policemen, told the Weekly he plans to put out an announ ... More >>

Fullerton Police Raid Wrong House, Acting Police Chief Apologizes to Family a Year Later

​​At last night's city council meeting, almost a year after four Fullerton police officers wrongfully raided her home, Robyn Nordell got the apology and policy change she's been waiting for.Last October, while working at her computer, Nordell noticed a man at her back door. She says she feared a ... More >>

Kelly's Army Strong

The eclectic mix of protesters demanding justice for Kelly Thomas still has battles to fight, even after two officers were charged in his death

OC Pioneers Who Were Klan Members: George Annin, Fullerton Police Officer, Councilmember

​Given that the Fullerton Police Department's murderous ways are getting mucho coverage this week due to the Kelly Thomas killing, let's turn our attention anew to the department's old days, when it featured many Kluckers among its ranks, Kluckers who were hell-bent on turning Fullerton into a ref ... More >>

[UPDATED with Arraignment:] Murder Charge, Counts Against 2 Cops in Kelly Thomas Beating Case

Courtesy of Orange County District Attorney's OfficeOfficer Manuel Ramos​UPDATE, SEPT 21, 4:03 P.M.: At his arraignment this afternoon, which the Weekly's Marisa Gerber attended, a handcuffed Fullerton Police Officer Manuel Ramos pleaded not guilty to felony second-degree murder and involuntary ma ... More >>

An Inside Look At Ron Thomas' Day At The District Attorney's Office and the Arraignment of The Two Fullerton Policemen Charged

Marisa Gerber/ OCWeeklyRon Thomas​As soon as Ron Thomas showed up at the district attorney's office around 10 a.m., reporters and members of "Kelly's Army" swarmed around him. That same clan would be there again an hour later when he learned that the D.A. charged two Fullerton policemen--Officer ... More >>

[BREAKING:] DA to Announce Charges (If Any) in Kelly Thomas Killing

​Moments after receiving the county coroner's report regarding Kelly Thomas' cause of death, the Orange County District Attorney's office announced DA Tony Rackauckas is holding a press conference Wednesday morning "to discuss his filing decision following the OCDA's investigation of six Fullert ... More >>

Kenton Hampton, Who A Witness Says Punched And Kneed Kelly Thomas In The Head, Is Allegedly Tied To A Third Act Of Violence

Marisa Gerber/ OCWeeklyEddie Quiñonez, left, Attorney Garo Mardirossian​As he sat on a nearby bus and watched Fullerton police officers beat Kelly Thomas, Eddie Quiñonez recognized a familiar face. "I realized it right away. I did recognize him," Quiñonez said of Officer Kenton Hampton, wh ... More >>

Are OC's Cops Minding the Community?

The death of Kelly Thomas has put a spotlight on how cops treat the mentally ill

[UPDATED with Photos:] Fullerton Hires Independent Probe Into Kelly Thomas Beating, Dozens Speak At City Council Meeting

Michael Gennaco​At last night's meeting, the city council voted to hire Michael Gennaco to conduct an independent review of the Kelly Thomas beating and the police department's practices. Earlier in the meeting, more than 50 Fullertonians spoke during the public comment section, many&nb ... More >>

State Funds Classes To Teach Law Enforcement How To Interact With Mentally Ill, Majority Of Officials In OC Haven't Taken It

​​As the Kelly Thomas beating death in Fullerton has put interactions between law enforcement and the mentally ill under a microscope, we wondered just how well-prepared OC's cops were to deal with such situations. Turns out that California's Mental Health Services Act funds a two-day train ... More >>

Strange Bedfellows: The Two Very Different Organizations That Were At Saturday's Kelly Thomas Protest

​Unfortunate events breed the most unlikely of unions. I mean, just look to Fullerton. When members of two staggeringly dissimilar groups convened Saturday to protest the death of a mentally ill transient, they coexisted with ease. For arguably the first and last time ever, members of th ... More >>

[UPDATED with Protest's Emotional Conclusion:] Hundreds Protest Kelly Thomas' Death, Demand Answers From Fullerton PD

Ed CarrascoA protester goes right up to the door of the Fullerton Police Department.​​UPDATE, AUGUST 8, 1:07 P.M.: After most of the crowd had left for the day, the remaining 100 or so protesters congregated directly outside the Fullerton Police Department and the tone of the protest intens ... More >>

Hundreds Protest Fullerton Police Brutality After The Disgraceful Kelly Thomas Killing

R.Scott Moxley / OC WeeklyRon Thomas: The victim's father stood with the protesters​On a beautiful Southern California Saturday more than 250 outraged local citizens ignored the chance to spend a sunny day at the beach, swim in their pools, shop at the mall or sip Mimosas on their porches. Instead ... More >>

[UPDATED with PD Protest PHOTOS:] Kelly Thomas' Retired Deputy Father Blasts Fullerton Police for 'Killing My Son'

​UPDATE, JULY 18, 7:12 P.M.: The Fullertonian's Alex Stouffer was at this afternoon's Fullerton Police Department protest with camera in hand, and some of the resulting shots have been graciously shared with the Weekly.Among those who turn up in Stouffer's lens is Ron Thomas, the father of 37-year ... More >>

[UPDATED With Quick Sentence] Vaughn Robert Biby, 9-Time Sex Offender Alleged to Have Kiddie Porn, Torture/Murder Pics--and Chuck E. Cheese Tokens

​UPDATE, MAY 3, 5:24 P.M.: Well, that was quick.Ninth-strike sex offender Vaughn Robert Biby pleaded guilty before opening statements began today to having hundreds of thousands of pornographic pictures and videos of children, as well as books and Internet print-outs on torture, rape and murder ... More >>

Raul Barrientos Charged with Rape and Sex Assault of Severely Disabled Woman at Fullerton College

​A 22-year-old Anaheim man was charged today with raping and sexually assaulting a woman with severe mental and physical disabilities in a men's restroom at Fullerton College.Raul Barrientos could get up to 150 years in state prison if convicted of the laundry list of charges the Orange County Dis ... More >>

[UPDATED] Larry Ruiz, OC Homicide No. 6: Shot While Changing Tire on St. Patrick's Day

​UPDATE, MARCH 22, 3:52 P.M.: Two roomates have been charged with the St. Patrick's Day murder of Larry Ruiz, the 19-year-old who was shot to death while helping a friend change a tire in a Fullerton alley.Charles Thomas Ramirez Jr., 33, and Marc Tomas Luna, 27, both of Fullerton, face one fe ... More >>

Guillermo Rodriguez is Convicted of Killing Woman He Caught in Bed With His Adult Son

​Meant to post this yesterday, but there has been a conviction in a case then-Weekly web editor Janine Kahn previewed in June 2007. Guillermo Rodriguez, 43, of Fullerton, was found guilty by a jury of murdering his neighbor Donna Dutton, also 43 and a multiple sclerosis sufferer, who Rodriguez had ... More >>

Andrew Thomas Gallo, Accused of Killing Angels Pitcher Nick Adenhart and 2 Others, is Not Only Alleged Drunken Driver Up on Murder Today

Andrew Thomas Gallo​Separate murder trials for two alleged drunken drivers begin this morning in Orange County.One you've heard a lot about, the other not so much.Guess that's to be expected when a rookie phenom Angels pitcher is a murder victim in the more talked-about case.

Sept. 22 - Sept. 29