Police Apprehends One of Two Carjack Suspects

LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT
PRESS RELEASE
Monday, April 12, 1999

On Thursday, April 8, 1999 at 9:00 AM, a female Hispanic victim was at the Target Store located at Osborne Street and Laurel Canyon Boulevard. Her vehicle, 81 Ford Mustang, black in color, would not start and she opened the hood to her vehicle. She was approached by a male Hispanic approximately 23-years-old and a male White approximately 23-years-old. The male White suspect got into the driver’s seat and with the assistance of the male Hispanic suspect got the vehicle started. The male Hispanic then ran across the parking lot and the male White put the car in gear. The victim tried to stop the suspect unsuccessfully. The male White suspect drove the victim’s car to the male Hispanic who entered the vehicle and they drove off.

At 10:30 AM a female victim was at the Texaco gasoline station located at 23201 Ventura Boulevard in her 95 Jeep Cherokee, white in color. The victim had left the keys in her vehicle and was depositing trash in a receptacle. The black Mustang was parked in the gas station lot. A male Hispanic got out of the stolen Mustang and got into the victim’s vehicle. The suspect assaulted the victim as she tried to stop him. The suspect drove away in the victim’s vehicle followed by the male white driving the Mustang.

Approximately ten minutes later the Mustang was involved in a traffic accident on Ventura Boulevard just west of Winnetka. The vehicle was driven at a high rate of speed and the driver lost control hitting a telephone pole. Brian James Rogers, the lone occupant of the Mustang, male White, 23-years-old, and a resident of Saugus was transported to Northridge Hospital for broken legs and internal injuries. He is currently in surgery.

At this time the Jeep Cherokee and the Male Hispanic are not in custody.

If you have any information, please contact Foothill Detectives at 818-834-3115.

For Release 10:05 am PDT
April 12, 1999