Murder/Suicide Attempt on Chantry Flat Road

On January 26, 2013, around 6:30 p.m., Arcadia Police Officers responded to a stretch of Chantry Flats regarding a traffic collision involving a solo vehicle into a guardrail. The male driver had reportedly fled on foot before police arrived on scene, leaving behind a single female occupant. Nobody had been hurt in the accident.

Further investigation revealed the driver of the vehicle intentionally hit the guardrail in an attempt to kill both himself and his passenger – changing the focus of the investigation from a traffic accident to attempted murder. Officers searched the Chantry Flats area for the suspect for quite some time, but were unable to locate him.

A few hours later, the Sierra Madre Police Department received a 911-phone call from a residence located at the Santa Anita Dam Facility, which is owned by Los Angeles County. Residents there reported that the intruder had entered their home through a front door, and refused to leave. The residents, fearing for their safety, fled the residence and waited nearby for officers to arrive.

Continued investigation suggested that the suspect involved in the Dam Facility Residence incident was the same suspect that had attempted to drive both himself and his passenger off Chantry Flats earlier in the evening. As a result, Arcadia Police Personnel requested assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau (SWAT) in apprehending the outstanding suspect – still believed to be holed-up in the Dam Facility Residence.

After several hours, the Sheriff’s SWAT Team entered the residence and took custody of the intruder / suspect. Please contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Headquarters Bureau, at (323) 526-5541, for information regarding the suspect’s apprehension inside the residence.

Arcadia Police Officers took custody of the suspect at the scene, and have identified him as Patrick Anthony Gonzalez, a 21-year-old Los Angeles resident. Mr. Gonzalez was transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation prior to being booked for various charges to include attempted murder.

The investigation is continuing by Arcadia Police Department Detectives. Anyone with information is asked to call the Arcadia Police Department at626-574-5150. You can also submit crime tips and information via text, phone, or web to LA Regional Crime Stoppers, 800-222-TIPS (8477).