LOS ALTOS – Authorities on Monday released a sketch and outline of a suspect wanted in reference to an attack on an elderly man last week in Los Altos.

The suspect is a 20- to 40-year-old white male, 6 feet tall and 180 kilos, with a slim to average construct, Los Altos police said in a news release. He was last seen wearing a long-sleeved shirt, pants and possibly a baseball cap.

According to police, the sketch and outline were created with the help of a witness.

The attack occurred sometime within the late morning to afternoon on September 16 near the Foothill Expressway and Interstate 280. Police haven’t released a motive for the attack.

The victim, an 89-year-old Los Altos resident, was taken to an area hospital with head injuries. He is now recovering at home.

“The Los Altos Police Department wishes the victim and his family the best as they process this traumatic experience,” police said.

Anyone with information in regards to the case can contact police at 650-947-2770 or the anonymous tip line at 650-947-2774.

Check back later for updates.

Originally published: September 23, 2024 at 18:01

Shortly after a Lake Tahoe woman was reported missing, her boyfriend was caught after allegedly fleeing Reno within the automotive of a person who was shot to death.

The case began with a missing person report filed with the Placer County Sheriff's Office on Friday, August 9: Patricia Portella-Wright, 48, had failed to indicate up for work. She was a photographer and art gallery worker who lived in Kings Beach along with her boyfriend, Brent Clifford, 55, and was last seen on August 4.

Officers were unable to achieve Clifford and commenced trying to find him.

A possible clue was found two days later. On Sunday, August 11, police were called to a house in Reno where they found 68-year-old William Andrews dead from a gunshot wound to the pinnacle. Andrews turned out to be an acquaintance of Brent Clifford.

After the connection was made, the Placer County Sheriff's Office asked the general public for assist in locating Andrews' missing vehicle, a red Chevrolet Blazer. The office said the SUV was last seen near Hallelujah Junction on Highway 70 in California, and it published an image from a surveillance camera of the vehicle passing the Circus Circus Casino in downtown Reno.

The driver of the Blazer was probably Clifford, it was said.

On Wednesday around 4 p.m., Clifford was arrested in Portola on suspicion of identity theft. The blazer was found nearby.

As the seek for Portella-Wright continued, investigators found clues that led them to the Mount Rose area. On Thursday, a drone spotted a body on a steep slope below Mount Rose Highway between the ski area and the Galena Forest neighborhood. It was recovered and identified as Portella-Wright's body that afternoon. A Placer County Sheriff's Office spokesman didn’t give a reason behind death but said there have been signs of foul play.

Based on the identification, Clifford was charged with murder and was within the Placer County Jail on Thursday.

Map points

1: Patricia Portella-Wright, who lived with Brent Clifford in Kings Beach, was reported missing on August 9.

2: William Andrews was found shot to death in his Reno home on August 11.

3: After Andrews' death, his SUV was seen at Hallelujah Junction.

4: Clifford was arrested in Portola on August 14.

5: Portella-Wright's body was found next to the Mount Rose Highway on August 15.

Originally published: August 16, 2024 at 10:27 am

Francisco Hernandez shot a friend's dog during an argument July 15 within the 2300 block of Cypress Street, Antioch Police Lt. Desmond Bittner said in a news release.

The following day, Hernandez shot an individual during a foiled automobile break-in on the corner of Lucena Way and Lopez Drive, based on Bittner.

Bittner said the crime spree continued on July 31, when Hernandez shot an individual during a foiled carjacking within the 3800 block of Rockford Drive.

Finally, on August 1, Hernandez shot an individual after an argument within the 2200 block of San Jose Drive, Bittner said.

An officer encountered Hernandez on Aug. 7 on the corner of Buchanan Road and Contra Loma Boulevard as he was doing doughnuts in a stolen Infiniti, Bittner said. Hernandez sped away but crashed into an unoccupied vehicle parked a few quarter-mile away on Cortez Court.

The officer arrested Hernandez on the scene and located that he had two warrants for his arrest – one for attempted murder and the opposite for animal cruelty.

On Monday, detectives presented the cases to the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office, which charged Hernandez with two counts of attempted murder, assault with a firearm, cruelty to animals and auto theft.

Anyone with information concerning the cases can contact Detective Cole Shaffer at 925-779-6944 or cshaffer@antiochca.gov.

SAN FRANCISCO – A Bay Area man has been extradited to Hawaii to face charges that he shot and killed a social employee on the island of O'ahu over a dispute over a big amount of methamphetamine.

Filimone Tavake, 36, is scheduled to look in federal court on Thursday to face murder charges in reference to the March 2021 death of Malakai “Mo” Maumalanga.

The crime shocked the Honolulu community of Aiea, where Maumalanga was killed, and revelations concerning the suspected motive only added fuel to the fireplace. Authorities allege Tavake killed Maumalanga over eight kilos of methamphetamine that was delivered to Maumalanga but never paid for, and that Tavake warned him before the shooting that things escalated until it got to the “don't talk” part.

Media reports in Hawaii describe Maumalanga as a former gang member who spent 20 years counseling at-risk youth and dealing for nonprofit organizations.

Tavake was arrested in Redwood City on March 22, almost three years to the day after he allegedly shot Maumalanga in a carport at Maumalanga's home. Authorities allege the eight kilos of methamphetamine were present in Maumalanga's apartment after the murder and that Tavake boarded a plane to San Francisco the day after the shooting. According to police, two firearms were used to kill Maumalanga.

In court filings, federal prosecutors have described Tavake as a drug dealer and claimed they tracked his transfers from Hawaii to San Mateo and Redwood City totaling about $59,000 over a three-year period, also noting that he ” trades mainly in cash.” They claim that Tavake was connected to the murder as there is evidence that his phone was connected to the suspects' rental car and that Tavake and Maumalanga spoke on the phone shortly before Maumalanga's murder.

In addition, federal authorities said they checked undercover methamphetamine purchases from Tavake in 2022 and spoke to a witness who told them that Tavake “has individuals who might help him transport drugs to Hawaii on planes.” Text messages between both men also suggest that tensions between them increased due to the unpaid debts.

“You get to the part where nothing is said because you say something and the deadline isn’t met,” Tavake allegedly wrote in a message about three weeks before the murder. “I’m tired of this story.”