Three men are charged with murder and robbery and a fourth with a spate of robberies that have ravaged the city in recent weeks, police said Friday.
A Los Angeles Police Department’s Home Robbery Task Force, with the assistance of a SWAT unit from the LAPD and the Beverly Hills, Glendale and Fontana Police Department, made arrests in various locations in Los Angeles and Fontana on December 21.
The suspects were Jayon Sanders, 21, Abraham Castillo, 20, Tyree Singleton, 20, and Joshua Saulsberry (21).
Sanders, Castillo, and Singleton have all been charged with murder, robbery, and attempted robbery. Saulsberry is charged with robbery.
According to the LAPD, Sanders is being held on bail of $ 2.49 million, Castillo and Singleton on bail of $ 2.05 million, and Saulsberry on bail of $ 160,000.
Detectives found a handgun, replica handgun, more than $ 30,000 in cash, handbags, a Rolex watch, gear utensils and two vehicles allegedly used in the crimes, police said.
The murder involved a man who was shot and killed on November 23 in a restaurant in the 7100 block of Sunset Boulevard, LAPD officer Norma Eisenman said.
The victim was Jose Ruiz Gutierrez, 23. He was waiting in a car outside the Bossa Nova restaurant on 7100 Block Sunset Boulevard around 2 a.m. that day when a woman he was with got out and was approached by a group of men who were trying to rob her, shared Los Angeles Times police with.
Gutierrez, who was carrying a gun, got out of the car to intervene and the suspects allegedly shot him and fled, the report said.
A special task force was set up to track down those responsible. Eric Leonard will report for NBC4 News on Wednesday, December 15, 2021.
Hours after the fact, LAPD chief Michel Moore announced that the agency would set up a task force to investigate “follow-home robberies,” which have become more common in recent weeks.
Moore said the department had identified 133 likely cases of such crimes. The robberies are robbers who pursue people who wear high-quality jewelry or who own expensive vehicles or other belongings.
Moore said Gutierrez “came to the aid of a woman who was attacked” when he was killed.
The Robbery Homicide Follow-Home Robbery Task Force includes robbery detectives and gang resources from the Narcotics Division and Metropolitan Division of the LAPD.
“They will work to identify those responsible and prosecute them and bring them before the criminal justice system,” said Moore.
“The impact this has on community and security is profound,” he added.
Moore added that people shouldn’t try to protect their property when faced with robbers.
“There is no trinket or property worth life and when you find yourself in such a dangerous situation cooperate, be a good witness. … Do not chase people, do not try to chase them.” People and don’t try to take any action on your own other than to minimize the chances of you becoming a victim of the kind of violence we saw this morning, “he said.
He added that if anyone notices they are being followed, they should not drive home and instead go to a police station and call 911.
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