Three Accused in Southern California Robbery Spree Face Multiple Charges
Two San Fernando Valley residents and a Long Beach man are facing numerous charges for a two-week crime spree that spanned Los Angeles and Orange counties, ending in a shooting at a doughnut shop.
A federal grand jury has charged the three suspects—a 36-year-old man and 49-year-old woman from North Hollywood, and a 23-year-old man from Long Beach—with conspiracy to commit robbery, three counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of attempted Hobbs Act robbery, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced on February 20. The two men also face additional robbery charges and firearm-related offenses.
Between January 29 and February 14, the trio is accused of robbing 12 businesses, including a smoke shop in Tustin, nine 7-Eleven stores across various cities, and two doughnut shops in Los Angeles and Downey.
The defendants are said to have carried out the robberies at night, with the North Hollywood woman often acting as a getaway driver. On February 6, the man and woman allegedly fled to Las Vegas, where they married before returning to California to commit another robbery on February 8.
The crime spree ended on Valentine’s Day when the group attempted to rob a doughnut shop in Downey. An employee, seeing one of the suspects with a handgun, grabbed his own firearm and fired a shot, causing the suspects to flee. Police later stopped the vehicle with the trio and found a firearm inside.
The suspects, already in federal custody, are scheduled for arraignment in the coming weeks, with a trial set for May 6. If convicted, each could face up to 20 years in federal prison for the Hobbs Act violations, with additional sentences for firearm-related charges and possession of a firearm as a felon.
