Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION – A Whittier man was arrested by FBI agents and detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department August 23 after they identified him as going on a bank robbery spree.
Richard Martinez was caught as he was leaving his home in the 10600 block of Reichling Lane around 2 p.m. Martinez is accused of robbing banks in City of Industry, Santa Fe Springs and Whittier, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The three robberies occurred over a three-hour period and featured a demand note and similar suspect and vehicle description: a late-model Chevrolet Camaro convertible. “A search warrant was served at Suspect/Martinez’ residence and numerous items of evidence were recovered, including a loaded pistol gripped shotgun, a loaded 9MM handgun with an extended magazine, and a demand note,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in a written statement. Investigators are trying to determine if Martinez is involved in other bank robberies. Martinez was booked on suspicion of robbery and was additionally booked on suspicion of being an ex-felon in possession of two firearms. He is being held in lieu $50,000 bail and is scheduled to appear at the West Covina Court House August 25. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A man admitted Friday to supplying drugs that ultimately killed a woman who ingested them.
Edwin Oliva, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing Fentanyl resulting in death and one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Oliva admitted in a plea agreement to providing several lines of a drug for his victim to snort and he neglected to tell her that the drug was Fentany, which he was aware of. “Oliva did not call 911 or otherwise seek medical care for the victim until nearly six hours after texting a friend that the victim was not breathing,” the US District Attorney’s Office. In that nearly six hours, Oliva cleaned his apartment by removing the fentanyl and other drug trafficking evidence, which was put in the trunk of his significant other’s car and driven away from the apartment in attempt to hide it, the US District Attorney’s Office. After serving a search warrant, Montebello officers on the car and located 1.9 kilograms of heroin, 21 grams of fentanyl, 1.4 kilograms of marijuana, 0.4 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, a loaded .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol, a blue flip phone he used to conduct drug transactions and a notebook he used as a pay/owe ledger, the US District Attorney’s Office said. Oliva has been in federal custody since March 2019. After being taken into custody that month, Oliva ordered his significant other to destroy evidence and to tell authorities that the blue flip phone was a toy for their children. Oliva is scheduled to be sentenced January 7, 2022 and faces a statutory maximum of life in prison. The fentanyl distribution charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The heroin possession charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The suspect who allegedly rammed into the doors of a Montebello JC Penny and assaulted officers during a subsequent chase entered his plea March 12. Tom Rojas, 37, pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault upon a peace officer, one felony count each of fleeing a pursuing peace officer’s vehicle while driving recklessly, vandalism causing more than $400 in damage and hit-and-run driving causing property damage, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Public Information Officer Paul Eakins. Police began pursuing him after responding to a burglary call at The Shops Montebello, 1600 Town Center Dr., around 3 a.m. March 9. A vehicle was seen crashing into one of the store fronts, Montebello Police said.
Rojas allegedly fled the scene, but was found later at Paramount and Whittier boulevards in Pico Rivera. Rojas allegedly drove recklessly along surface streets and tried to strike other vehicles and police vehicles on the road, Montebello Police said. The pursuit ended with police gunfire near Dittman Avenue and Indiana Street after a K9 took Rojas down. No officers were injured. Rojas faces a possible maximum sentence of eight years and two months in state prison if convicted as charged, Eakins said. Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor MONTEBELLO - Two men are facing capital murder charges in a drive-by shooting that left a man dead, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.
Bernardo Martinez, 21, and Nicholas Rodriguez, 27, were charged September 25 with one count of murder with the special circumstance that it occurred in a drive-by shooting with the intent to kill. The men are eligible for the death penalty, according to Paul Eakins of the DA’s Office. The men were additionally charged with two counts of premeditated attempted murder and one count of shooting from a motor vehicle. Rodriguez also faces a count of fleeing a pursuing peace officer’s vehicle while driving recklessly, Eakins said. The charges include gun and gang enhancements for both men. The suspects are accused of firing on a group of people in the 600 block of North Garfield Avenue around 1:40 a.m. September 22. Montebello officers found Rudy Elguezabal, 21, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He later died at a nearby hospital. Two other intended victims were unscathed, Montebello Police said. Witnesses described the vehicle used in the drive-by. It was located occupied by Montebello Police who then pursed the suspects when they refused to stop. The suspects crashed and fled officers on foot before being taken into custody. The alleged murder weapon was recovered. The suspects face the death penalty or life in state prison without the possibility of parole if convicted as charged. A decision on whether to seek capital punishment will be made at a later date, Eakins said. |
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