Band of Robbers Arrested

Los Angeles:  Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers have rounded up a dozen people, including four juveniles, for committing a string of robberies in a time span of one week throughout the City of Los Angeles.

The four juvenile suspects arrested were booked without bail at Sylmar Juvenile Hall. The eight adult suspects arrested – Winder Barrios, 23, Jose Aldana, 23, and Pedro Quinonez, 31 were nabbed on April 2, 2009.  Marlon Peralta, 22, Oscar Alvarado, 22, Elias Covarrubias, 23, Christopher Moreno, 28, Carlos Garcia, 20 were taken into custody on April 3, 2009.  

The gangs of robbers were involved in the following incidents:

On March 26, 2009, at about 9:35 p.m., a man parked his car near 5th Street and Muirfield Road when a truck pulled up next to him and two men got out.  One of the men pointed a shotgun at the victim’s face and demanded his property.  The suspects took victim’s wallet, cell phone, and car keys before driving off in their truck, which had a paper plate with “Miller” written across it.

On March 26, 2009, at about 9:55 p.m., a man was sitting in his car on the corner of Wilton Place and Carlton Way when a black truck pulled up next to him.  Two men got out of the truck and one man pointed a shotgun at the victim and demanded his money.  One of the suspects grabbed the victim, and in fear, he gave his wallet to the other suspect.  The two suspects jumped in the truck, which was driven by another suspect.  The suspects’ truck had a paper plate with the word “Miller” written across it.

On March 26, 2009, at about 10:00 p.m., a man was sitting inside his parked car texting on his phone and listening to music near Cahuenga Boulevard and Bennet Drive. Three suspects in a pickup truck pulled alongside the man, stopped and parked.  The trio got out of their truck with one of them holding a shotgun.  They approached the victim, ordered him to open the door and demanded money.  The victim opened his wallet and showed the suspects that he didn’t have any money but gave up his money clip.  The suspects jumped back in their truck and took off.

On March 26, 2009, at about 10:00 p.m., a woman pulled her car over to use her phone near Harold Way and Saint Andrews Place.  The suspects’ truck pulled up next to the woman and two men got out of the car and walked toward her vehicle.  One of the suspects pointed his shotgun at the victim and demanded her money.  They then reached into her car and began searching the inside of the car.  During the search, one of the men put his hand up the victim’s skirt and touched her vaginal area.  The suspects jumped back into their truck and drove away. 

On March 30, 2009, at about 8:50 p.m., two people were sitting in a car near Mansfield and Oakwood Avenues.  A sports utility vehicle pulled up next to the victims and one of the suspects began walking toward the victim while holding a shotgun.  The suspect pointed the shotgun at the victims and demanded their money.  Both victims gave their money and the suspect jumped into his truck where second suspect was waiting to drive away.

On March 30, 2009, at about 9:05 p.m., a woman pulled her car over near De Longpre and Orange Avenues to use her cell phone.  A sports utility vehicle pulled up next to her and one of the men approached her car.  The suspect pointed a shotgun at the victim’s face and demanded her property.  The suspect grabbed the victim’s phone and car keys, then jumped back into the truck, where second suspect was  waiting to drive away.

On March 30, 2009, at about 9:20 p.m., a woman stopped her car at the intersection of Franklin and Fuller Avenues.  A sports utility vehicle pulled in front of her car blocking her path.  A passenger of the truck got out of the car with a shotgun.  He approached her and demanded her money.  When the victim told the suspect she didn’t have much money, the suspect told her he would take her to the ATM.  The suspect took the victim’s jewelry and jumped back into the truck, and second suspect drove away.

On April 2, 2009, at about 8:25 p.m., Hollywood Patrol Officers saw three male Hispanics in a black Nissan pickup truck with “Miller” paper plates.  The three occupants matched the physical description of the robbery suspects.  A traffic stop was conducted and during the search of the vehicle, a sawed off shotgun was recovered under the seat.  Property belonging to a victim was also recovered in the glove box of the car.  During a search warrant of one of the suspect’s residences, detectives recovered property taken during a home invasion robbery in West Valley on March 27th.  Hollywood detectives coordinated with West Valley detectives, and during the interview of the suspects, all three admitted to being involved in the home invasion and street robberies.

On April 3, 2009, at about 12:10 a.m., a street robbery occurred in the 7200 block of Wilbur Avenue.  Two victims were robbed by seven men who used fear and intimidation to rob them of their personal property.  The victims saw the suspects get into a white van with out-of-state license plates and drive away.  The responding officers put the information out over the radio, and within minutes, West Valley Patrol Officers spotted a white van matching the description.  The officers made a traffic stop on the van and discovered that there were nine occupants.  The victims were able to identify the occupants of the van as the individuals who had robbed them.  During a search of the van, officers found personal property belonging to the victims, along with other items of property believed to have been taken in similar style robberies throughout the city.

Though detectives have been very successful in taking down these bands of criminals, they believe there may be additional victims who have not come forward.  They want to encourage anyone who may have been a victim of a street robbery over the past several months in the areas of West Valley, Devonshire, Wilshire, and Olympic Divisions, to please contact West Valley Area Gang Impact Team Detectives Angelo Castro or Debbie Prosser at 818-374-7878. During off-hours, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247).  Callers may also text “Crimes” with a cell phone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on Web tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with “LAPD.”  Tipsters may remain anonymous.