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Three people were taken into custody in La Verne Tuesday after officers found gloves and bloody clothes in the car of a firefighter from West Covina who has been missing for days, authorities said.
John Brian Mananghaya Aguila, 28, is seen in an undated photo provided by the West Covina Police Department on Aug. 27, 2019.
John Brian Mananghaya Aguila, 28, is seen in an undated photo provided by the West Covina Police Department on Aug. 27, 2019.
The family of John Brian Mananghaya Aguila, 28, told law enforcement that they hadn’t heard from him since 4:30 p.m. Aug. 22, 2019, and that he hadn’t come home or showed up for his job as a part-time firefighter at the Bureau of Land Management since, the West Covina Police Department said in a news release. Aguila’s white 2017 Honda Civic was impounded in San Dimas a day later. When officers searched the car, they found gloves and bloody clothes in the trunk, police said. Investigators then found surveillance video that showed a person, who is not Aguila, walking away from the Honda in a residential area in San Dimas, and were able to track that person down, according to the news release. The surveillance footage shows someone with a hair bun, a dark-colored tank top and a backpack walking across the screen, and away from where a white car is stopped. The person, who was only described as being male, was the subject of a search at a home in the 1400 block of Third Street in La Verne at about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, police said. Three people were detained inside the house, authorities said. It’s unclear whether any of the three in custody is the person seen in the surveillance footage.
Authorities serve a search warrant at a home in La Verne on Aug. 27, 2019. (Credit: Inland News)
Authorities serve a search warrant at a home in La Verne on Aug. 27, 2019. (Credit: Inland News)
Video from where the search warrant was served shows an armored vehicle, SWAT officers and police cars swarming a residential street. A male suspect is seen handcuffed on the ground before officers place him inside a patrol car. Aguila still hadn’t been found as of Tuesday evening. The investigation is ongoing and the department is asking for the public’s help finding him. Anyone with information was asked to contact West Covina police at 626 939-8557. Tipsters can also leave a message anonymously at 626 939-8688.