Pasadena Drivers Asked to Help Find Killers

Pasadena police took their search for the slayers of a popular grocery store owner to the middle of rush-hour traffic Wednesday, handing out fliers seeking the public’s help in finding the killers.

Sketches of the suspects were distributed to motorists on busy North Fair Oaks Avenue, just a few feet from where Olivia De La Torre, a mother of six, was shot as she struggled with robbers about 7 a.m. May 15 outside La Guadalupana, the family’s meat market and restaurant. She died six hours later at Huntington Memorial Hospital.

As traffic slowed along the well-traveled route, the officers chatted with drivers and bikers and even distributed the fliers to passengers on two MTA buses. The sketches were based on descriptions provided by De La Torre’s husband and another relative.

For many of the officers, De La Torre’s death was more than just another murder case.

“She was a very nice woman. When someone didn’t have enough money she’d give away food,” said Pasadena Police Sgt. Mike Villalovos, as he supervised the traffic stop. “Motorists are flooding us with calls. I’m very confident that this will lead us to the suspects. Someone in one of these cars must have seen something that morning.”

That day De La Torre was carrying a small bag of cash as she stepped out of a car and was confronted by two gunmen.

Her husband, Jacinto, was forced to the ground at gunpoint in the parking lot as his wife apparently struggled with another robber in front of the store and was shot.

“They stole my mother’s life for a few dollars. They didn’t get much,” said Juan De La Torre, 21, standing at the front counter.

“I think what police are doing here with the fliers will help,” he said. “As you can see, it’s busy all day on the street, and I am sure someone saw what happened.”

The De La Torres are a fixture in the northwest Pasadena neighborhood. They came here from Poncitan, in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, more than 18 years ago.

More than 500 mourners attended De La Torre’s funeral.

The killers are described as two male Latinos. One is thin, 20 to 30 years old, 5 feet 4 inches tall. The other is in his late 40s to early 50s, about 5 feet 6 inches with a white beard. The pair fled in a silver 1978 Datsun B210 and abandoned it a few blocks away.

Anyone with information should contact Pasadena Police Det. Alejandro Peinado at (626) 744-4511 or Det. Jason Clawson at (626) 744-6412.