Overall Crime Down, But Assaults and Auto Thefts See Increases in Pasadena

Overall crime in Pasadena through February declined by 15% compared to last year, but assaults, including homicides, as well as vehicle thefts have seen significant increases, according to police data.

Incidents of assault with a deadly weapon climbed by 30%, from 20 cases in 2020 to 26 this year, according to statistics compiled by the Pasadena Police Department. Seventeen such incidents were reported year-to-date in 2019, and 14 were reported in 2018.

Pasadena police Lt. William Grisafe said the department was pleased to see the downturn in many categories but was continuing its efforts to combat the recent rise in violence, which has been coupled with a growing number of guns officers are finding on the streets.

Officers have already seized more than 70 guns this year, he said.

“We’re encouraged about the overall drop in crime, but we’re concerned about the increase in violent crimes that are occurring and the number of guns being recovered from people’s waistbands and vehicles,” Grisafe said.

Investigators were looking into the possibility that the uptick in violence was related to a long-running dispute between gangs in the Pasadena and Duarte areas, he said.

Two homicides were reported in Pasadena during the first two months of the year, compared with none during the three prior years, the data shows.

The first homicide was discovered on New Year’s Day when a badly burned man was discovered in the Arroyo Seco near the 700 block of Rockwood Road, officials said at the time. He soon died from his injuries at a hospital. The case remains unsolved.

The city’s second homicide occurred on Jan. 5, when an 80-year-old Pasadena woman who had been beaten by a homeless man in a seemingly random attack a week earlier succumbed to her injuries at a hospital, according to police and coroner’s officials.

A suspect has been arrested in connection with the killing and is awaiting trial.

A third killing took place in the city on Saturday night but is not reflected in February’s statistics.

A 23-year-old Azusa man was gunned down as he sat in a car in the parking lot of a strip mall at Foothill Boulevard and Altadena Drive, Pasadena police Lt. Anthony Burgess said. He died at a hospital the following morning.

Simple assaults declined by 25% during the first two months of 2021 and domestic violence assault reported declined by 10%, according to police data.

In addition to assaults involving deadly weapons, the only other category to increase was auto theft, which grew by 82%, from 34 stolen cars during the first two months of 2020 to 62 this year, according to police data.

All other categories of crime, including robbery, rape, burglary, and theft, saw significant declines.

Most notable, reports of residential burglaries dropped by 37%, from 60 incidents in 2020 to 38 this year.

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