Police investigating alleged threat at Actis Junior High
Police are investigating a possible shooting threat made by a suspected juvenile targeting Actis Junior High School in southwest Bakersfield.
According to a Bakersfield Police Department news release, the agency was alerted of the threat on Friday at 8:34 a.m. Police said the threat was potentially made over social media.
The school, located at 2400 Westholme Blvd., was placed on lockdown and a police presence was in the area Friday. BPD said Friday evening that at this point in the investigation there was no credible evidence of the threat being made.
The BPD said it is working closely with Panama-Buena Vista Union School District to ensure the safety of students and staff as police continue their investigation.
A 16-year-old girl was injured Thursday night during a shooting in the 400 block of W. Columbus Street.
According to a Bakersfield Police Department news release, the incident happened at around 9:23 p.m.
The girl was taken to a local hospital and is in stable condition, police said.
No suspect information was immediately available.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the BPD at 327-7111.
A man suspected of being under the influence of a controlled substance reportedly called the police about a person prowling outside a residence in northeast Bakersfield before firing a gun into the air and ground when officers arrived, the Bakersfield Police Department says.
In a BPD report, the law enforcement agency said Cristian Gutierrez, 37, of Bakersfield, was safely
detained after firing into the air and ground. Officers were responding to a call of a prowler outside a residence in the 100 block of Panorama Drive at around 3:54 a.m. Friday, the report says.
It was only after investigating the incident that officers determined Gutierrez was the original caller, BPD said.
Both cocaine and firearms were seized from Gutierrez, according to the report.
The report says Gutierrez was booked into Kern County Jail on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance while armed, negligent discharge of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance and being under the influence of a controlled substance.
A 19-year-old motorcycle driver was killed after colliding with a 2004 Chevy Suburban at around 1:43 p.m. Thursday, on Comanche Drive, north of Sunset Boulevard, according to a California Highway Patrol report.
The report says the Suburban driver, Manuel Pantoja, 49, of Arvin, was stopped on the right shoulder of southbound Comanche Drive while towing a utility trailer when he attempted to make a U-turn.
The turn put the Suburban directly in the path of a 2010 Kawasaki EX250J, traveling south on Comanche Drive at an unknown speed.
The motorcycle struck the driver’s side of the Suburban and the driver was ejected, the report says.
The motorcycle driver sustained major injuries and was taken to Kern Medical in an ambulance for treatment, where the person later died.
Both Pantoja and passenger Jessie Mendez sustained minor to moderate injuries, the report says, and were also taken to Kern Medical for treatment.
The driver’s identity has not been released.
Alcohol and drugs are not suspected of being factors in the collision, which is pending further investigation.
The Kern County District Attorney’s Office is recognizing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, which is scheduled for April 18-24.
According to a news release, the DA’s Office previously held an annual Victims’ Rights March, although that has been put on hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Instead, Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said her office will host an Honor and Remembrance Drive on Wednesday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Participants driving east on Truxtun Avenue past the District Attorney’s Office will see poster-size photos commemorating 2020 homicide victims, the news release stated.
Also, video vignettes honoring crime victims and the professionals who help them pursue justice will be posted daily to the DA’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KernCountyDA/