José Rivera, 54, Fernando Hernández, 43, and Rogelio Ramírez Salgado, 45, are the three Latino men who were arrested for their alleged connection with a gang of shoplifters at Lowe’s, The Home Depot and Harbor Freight.
Investigators from the California Highway Patrol’s (CHP) Retail Theft Task Force served search warrants at several hardware and plumbing businesses in the city of Los Angeles and managed to seize $500,000 in stolen merchandise.
The investigation lasted a month, CHP Sergeant Alejandro Rubio said.
Among the stolen items that were recovered were extendable ladders, five-gallon cans of paint, plumbing tools and accessories, as well as water heaters.
In addition to the stolen items, authorities confiscated five firearms and $30,000 in cash, Sergeant Rubio said.
The message to thieves this holiday season and as Christmas approaches, according to CHP Officer Christian Baldonado, is simple and plain: “Don’t do it. Not worth it”.
Baldonado told La Opinión that, during the Christmas season “people are working hard and giving gifts; They have jobs and pay for these gifts. And then what or who has the right to steal and take those gifts that are for my children, your children or your relatives?”
The CHP officer specified that the arrest of the three Latino suspects, José Rivera, Fernando Hernández and Rogelio Ramírez Salgado was achieved through a joint effort between CHP investigators, elements of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) and detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
He added that, if the message is promoted that stealing is not worth it and that they have a task force that sooner or later will find the thieves, “although the task is difficult, we are going to catch them all.”
Robberies decrease in the city of Los Angeles: Karen Bass
Regarding crime prevention in Los Angeles, during her first year in office speech, Mayor Karen Bass highlighted that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) formed a Regional Task Force against Commercial Theft in August.
Bass helped secure $15.7 million from the state to support the LAPD’s efforts to combat organized retail crime, which has now decreased by 57% since the group’s establishment, and resulted in 196 arrests that disarmed large groups of organized thieves.
The money obtained by Los Angeles is part of the $267 million that Governor Gavin Newsom allocated to help 34 local police agencies, seven sheriff’s departments, a probation department and 13 district district offices in various counties to increase patrols. , acquire surveillance equipment and put an end to the mass robberies that have recently occurred from north to south of the “Golden State.”
Videos of brazen daylight robberies have been worrying for business owners.
“Enough of these brazen attacks and robberies: we are ensuring that law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to take down these criminals,” Newsom said in a statement about the grants awarded.
254 arrested in LA County
For the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Newsom allocated $15.6 million, and after the creation of the Retail Theft Task Force three months ago, 254 individuals were arrested; 142 search warrants have been served and merchandise valued at approximately $600,000 has been recovered.
“Our team has been working hard to combat and stop mass robberies,” stated LASD spokesperson Miguel López. “In collaboration with other agencies we have been able to more easily identify suspects.”
López stated that there are detectives who are working undercover in retail businesses, monitoring any suspicious action and with the help of surveillance cameras and issuing search warrants where the suspects live they have been able to collect the stolen merchandise.
The officer reported that there are already arrests in the robbery committed at a Nike sports store located in the 9800 block of south Alameda Street, in Huntington Park, although the names of the suspects have not been revealed. To do this, they had information from the LAPD.
On November 19, a total of 17 robbers described as African-Americans, including four women – ages 15 to 20 – arrived at the store around 5:50 p.m. in a tan, four-door Infiniti SUV. gray KIA, a white Honda, and a black KIA and Audi.
Within a few minutes, they took as much merchandise as possible, stuffed it into blue trash bags, and fled the scene. In total, they took $12,000 worth of merchandise.
The LASD spokesperson says that, although there is efficiency in the work carried out by the department’s patrol officers, there is not enough personnel to have more work teams dedicated to arresting groups of mass robberies and combating them more frequently.
“We are short-staffed and we would like more people to work with us,” he said.
With 10 years of service as sheriff, López told La Opinión that the way criminal groups operate has surprised him.
“It’s horrible for businesses and for people who go out shopping,” he said.
“The suspects are armed and willing to hurt anyone who gets in their way; “It is alarming, and that is why people should remain vigilant about what is happening around them, and if they see something out of the ordinary, stay away from the place and call the police.”
“Accustomed” to stealing
Tim Foreman, 31, was identified by the LAPD as the perpetrator of at least 10 retail robberies. He basically “liked” to take toothpaste and bottles of laundry freshener.
Foreman, who was booked for robbery, is accused of having entered a store in the 3600 block of Sunset Boulevard on December 2, and while committing the theft, threatened an employee with a knife.
Three days later – in the same store – he hit another employee and left him unconscious while stealing merchandise.
The suspect was detained and captured on December 7, without incident. He was identified by a store worker, who called the police, LAPD spokesman Officer Tony Im confirmed to Real America News.
Arrested and released
On December 5, 2023, the Organized Retail Crime Task Force (ORCTF) conducted a retail robbery operation near the 700 block of South Figueroa Street and arrested 11 people, including four minors. .
ORCTF is staffed by detectives from the Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Burbank, Torrance and Glendale police departments. In this operation, the group was assisted by the LAPD Central Division, the LAPD Transit Services Division and Retail Loss Prevention personnel.
All of the arrested suspects left the stores hiding unpaid merchandise.
Those arrested for shoplifting, a violation of California Penal Code 459.5 (theft of merchandise $950 or less) were:
Tinder Math, white female, 43 years old, from Los Angeles.
Anthony Williams, African American, 30 years old, from Los Angeles.
Dominique King, African American, 33 years old, from Los Angeles.
Gabriel Anthony Rubio, Hispanic, 31 years old, from Los Angeles.
Tyler Damon Bood, white male, 28 years old, from Los Angeles.
Jessica Mejía, Hispanic woman, 31 years old, from Los Angeles.
Alecia Latonya Williams, African American, 48, of Los Angeles, was arrested for shoplifting and faces a misdemeanor charge. She was booked and sent to the Metropolitan Detention Center. She was held on bail at $15,000.00.
Davonte Charles Carter, African American, 32 years old, from Los Angeles.
The four minors detained and arrested for theft were later handed over to their parents.