Suspects in Wave of Car-Jackings Nabbed in Chase
GLENDALE — A high-speed car chase in Glendora last week ended with the arrests of suspects in a spate of heists dubbed “car-jackings†by authorities, who say such crimes are on the rise.
Four high-priced cars have been stolen at gunpoint from their owners in Glendale recently, and the suspects have been linked to at least two of the crimes, Glendale police said.
“For a while, it was the Rolex robberies, then you had the follow-home home invasions. And now, for some reason, you’ve got the car-jackings,†Glendale Detective Russ Pierce said. “There’s two or three a day throughout the county.â€
On July 21, Glendora police arrested two 16-year-old Glendora youths after a brief chase on the Foothill Freeway (210) during which speeds of more than 100 m.p.h. were reached. The boys were in a Corvette that had been stolen at gunpoint in Glendale on July 10, Glendale Police Sgt. Lief Nicolaisen said.
The chase ended after less than a mile, when the Corvette crashed into the freeway center divider near Sunflower Avenue, police said. After questioning the youths, Glendora police also arrested George Lopez, 22, a relative of the boy driving the Corvette.
Nicolaisen said Lopez and his relative confessed to two Glendale car-jackings, including the July 10 Corvette theft.
At the time of that crime, the thieves were driving a BMW stolen at gunpoint in Monterey Park, police said. Lopez and his relative told detectives that “they fell in love†with the Corvette and had to have it, Nicolaisen said. Afterward, the sergeant related, the suspects said they parked the Corvette in a lot near their home and took it out for spins from time to time.
Police said they do not know whether the second 16-year-old arrested was actually involved in the car-jackings. He was released to his parents pending further investigation.
Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Northeast Division, which covers Echo Park, Highland Park and other northeast communities, say they investigate about a dozen car-jackings a week.
“It seems like you have more all the time,†LAPD Detective Gary Gruebel said. “That seems to be the crime to commit.â€
For the most part, San Gabriel Valley authorities said, car-jackings are not as frequent in the region as in other parts of the county. But many cities have reported such crimes in the last year and some authorities fear the trend will spread.
“It’s easier to rob a car now than it is to steal it while it’s parked,†said Alhambra Detective Jim Varga, who investigated about four car-jackings in the city last fall. “(Motorists) have all these electronic devices, ‘The Club.’ . . . But if the person’s inside the vehicle, the device won’t be functioning.â€
Lopez remains jailed awaiting a preliminary hearing Tuesday in Glendale Municipal Court on two counts of robbery and one of grand theft auto. His relative was released to his parents. Charges are expected to be filed against him in juvenile court in the Glendale cases, Nicolaisen said.
Monterey Park Detective Wes Clair said officers there are investigating Lopez and his relative in the BMW theft and other car-jackings in the city. Gruebel said he is showing pictures of the two suspects to several car-jacking victims in Northeast Los Angeles.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
