Young suspects had shotgun
Santa Monica police officers arrested four male juveniles Wednesday for a string of carjackings that took place over the past several weeks.
Two hours after a carjacking had taken place in an eastside neighborhood Wednesday morning, officers located the same vehicle by the side of a road in an Ocean Park neighborhood, officers said.
After putting the car under surveillance for four hours, police said they witnessed four juvenile male suspects enter the vehicle and attempt to drive off before officers successfully captured them inside the car.
When officers searched the vehicle, they found a sawed-off shotgun believed to have been used in several other Santa Monica carjackings over the past several weeks.
“The sawed-off shotgun used in the carjacking was recovered in the trunk of the vehicle,” said Lt. Frank Fabrega, a SMPD spokesman. “The suspects may be responsible for several carjackings in the Santa Monica area over the past several weeks.”
“The suspects may be responsible for several carjackings in the Santa Monica area over the past several weeks.”
The suspect then forced the woman to drive to the area of Olympic Boulevard and 16th Street, where she was then released. Police said the suspect then drove off in the victim’s vehicle.
Several hours later, patrol officers saw the stolen vehicle parked in the 600 block of Kensington Avenue.
A four-hour-long surveillance of the vehicle was conducted until officers observed four male juveniles entering the parked car and attempting to drive away.
Officers swarmed the car and the four individuals were taken into custody inside the stolen vehicle without incident. Two of the juveniles were released to their parents, while the other two were transported to Eastlake Juvenile Hall in East Los Angeles.
Police believe the same juveniles were involved in a carjacking of a Ford pick up truck on Sept. 15 on the 1300 block of 16th Street and a carjacking of a Toyota Camry that took place on Sept. 9 on the 1600 block of Delaware Avenue.
The juvenile suspects face a series of charges stemming from the carjackings, including kidnapping the female victim on Wednesday.
Officers described the suspect in both cases as a Hispanic male, 18 to 20 years old, and approximately five feet, nine inches tall.
Anyone having additional information is encouraged to contact the SMPD Robbery/Homocide unit at (310) 458-8451.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 26, 2002. Read the original PDF.