Bill Velto

On Saturday night, around 8:30pm, we received a call of shots fired in the area of 9th Street and San Antonio Avenue. The caller said an unknown male was throwing rocks at the building, and when the caller went outside to see what was going on, the subject pulled out a handgun and fired into the ground. Officers arrived in no time, spotted the suspect, and the chase was on. During the foot pursuit, the suspect tossed a loaded unserialized gun. We aren’t sure if this guy follows our pages, but we at UPD take our fitness seriously. Even with 30 pounds of gear, you’re not outrunning us. Turns out this guy was a few days short of his 18th birthday, so he was booked into Juvenile Hall on some felonies and may be celebrating without candles, cake or freedom this year.

Last night around 1am, we responded to a burglary alarm at a market near Foothill Blvd and Mountain Ave. Officers found the window smashed, things knocked over, and the register tampered with. Fortunately, a witness saw the suspect run from the area and said he ran east on Foothill Blvd. Officers were able to locate the sweaty suspect, get confirmation from the witness, and also located glass particles on his shoes from walking through the busted window. Turns out this guy also had an active felony warrant from Fontana PD for commercial burglary - where he also threw a rock through a window. Needless to say, he was booked where he doesn’t have access to rocks or glass that shatters.

On Tuesday evening, we responded to a cosmetic store in the colonies after three adult females were seen working together to conceal property. 💅💄 Officers were on scene in no time and greeted one of the females as she exited, the other two tried to hide in an aisle after seeing officers. All in all, nearly $1,300 in make-up was stolen and recovered… netting all three felony burglary and conspiracy charges. Guess they’ll be rocking the all natural look during their county stay.

🚨 Speeding isn’t just breaking the law — it’s aggressive driving that puts everyone on the road at risk. We’re joining @NHTSAgov campaign to crack down on dangerous driving behaviors that lead to traffic-related fatalities. Slow down, stay alert, and remember: Speeding Catches Up With You. The speeding campaign runs July 7-31

On Saturday night, around 10pm, an officer observed a white Audi blow a stop sign at 7th Street and San Antonio Ave. The driver, who was heavily intoxicated, pulled into a random person’s driveway and momentarily stopped. After being told to turn off the car, the driver thought it would be wise to back out and flee from officers. The driver then led officers on a pursuit through Upland, which is surely stressful when fleeing from officers. However, pursuing officers could see the stress level triple when he looked up and saw the @OntarioPD 🚁 spotlighting him from above. As the driver continued eastbound on Foothill Boulevard, he ran a red and was struck by a vehicle driving southbound on Campus Avenue. The driver was taken into custody and booked for felony evading and felony DUI. The driver of the other vehicle had complaints of pain, along with a female passenger in the suspect vehicle. A Big, thanks again to the @OntarioPD for the assist.

On Wednesday evening, around 7pm, we responded to a disturbance in the 600 block of N. 2nd Avenue. The reporting party said a suspect, who was acting erratic and breaking the windows to his own home, threw a chair and an axe at her and another person. Officers arrived on scene and could hear the suspect yelling and now breaking items in his backyard. The suspect yelled at officers and barricaded himself inside his home. Our joint Upland/Montclair PD SWAT Team, UPD Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT), Detectives, K9, and our UPD Drone Team were called in. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for the suspect and a search warrant for the property. CNT made several attempts to negotiate with the suspect, however, he refused to cooperate. The SWAT team utilized a number of tools to get the suspect to surrender, however he refused. After a nearly 6 hour stand-off, SWAT operators and our K9 team made entry. The suspect tried to assault officers, resulting in a K9 apprehension. The suspect was ultimately booked for assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon on officers, felony assault on a police K9, and resisting arrest. K9 Petey did not sustain any injuries. Based on the suspects behavior, a judge ordered he be held without bail.

Ah, good ol’ Monday mornings ☕️ For our 6 recruits, theirs may have been a little rougher than yours, but for good cause. They officially started their journeys in this amazing career, and after 6 months of rigorous training, will be hitting the streets with a Field Training Officer for another 5 months of training. Help us wish them good luck! 💪

Monday night, officers responded to a disturbance at a business in the 1600 block of W. Arrow Route where one of the parties brandished a weapon. Officers contacted the suspect, who was on probation for assault out of LA County, and conducted a probation search of his commercial unit. Officers uncovered a large stash of roughly 400lbs of illegal fireworks that were being sold in our community and putting the business complex in immediate danger. The suspect was booked into county jail for brandishing a weapon, possession of illegal fireworks for sale (a felony), and a probation violation. A reminder, all fireworks are illegal in Upland. Violators, including property owners they are discharged from, can face a $1000 fine.

This morning, Chief Blanco had the honor of swearing in 2 new officers into the UPD family. They’ve gone through 6 months of academy training and are ready to start nearly 5 months of field training. Join us in welcoming Officer Michaels and Wu! 💪

Yesterday afternoon, we received a “man with a gun” call at a convenient store. The clerk said a male (who appeared high on drugs) entered the business, was rambling and acting paranoid. The male then pulled out a gun and started waving it around. Officers were on scene in no time and made contact with the male as he exited. The male (who was indeed high on methamphetamine, a convicted felon and on probation for carjacking) had a loaded revolver on him. He was booked on a number of felonies and taken somewhere he will hopefully feel more safe.

Last night, just after 10pm, an officer stopped a Prius for some traffic violations near Mountain Ave and 7th Street. The driver, a convicted felon with prior gun arrests, drug arrests, and gang related offenses, said he’s been staying out of trouble and was on the up-and-up. Well, K9 Petey was on the stop as well, wasn’t buying it, and alerted on the vehicle. Officers located a loaded gun that was reported stolen. The driver was arrested on several weapons charges and his vehicle towed. Good boy, Petey 🐾