Four suspects were charged on Oct. 16 in connection with a six-week robbery spree at pharmacies across Southern California, federal authorities announced.
Aaron Carter, 39, of Fontana, Diamond Lucious, 25, of Victorville, Isaac Penaldoza, 35, of San Bernardino, and Kamaria Kendrick, 25, of Menifee, were all charged with attempted interference with commerce by robbery, a federal crime.
Three of the suspects—Carter, Lucious, and Penaldoza—have extensive criminal records.
Since August, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Orange County Violent Crime Task Force have been investigating a string of pharmacy robberies spanning several Southern California cities.
The robberies occurred at Delight Pharmacy on Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills on Aug 28; Apollo Pharmacy on Rancho California Road in Temecula on Sept. 13; Mariners Pharmacy on Superior Avenue in Newport Beach on Sept. 25; and Fullerton Express Pharmacy on West Bastanchury Road in Fullerton on Sept. 30, according to the ATF.
Authorities say during each of the robberies, three men entered the pharmacies wearing hooded sweatshirts and face masks.
Two of the suspects were armed with guns during the robberies and forced employees to lie on the ground while they stole cash from the register. They allegedly also violently dragged employees around the store.
The third man would stash stolen medications in a trash can from inside the business.
According to the criminal complaint, authorities allege that on Oct. 14, Kendrick scouted the Apollo Pharmacy in Temecula, walking around the building while on her phone and then driving around it several times.
Carter, Lucious, and Penaldoza then allegedly entered the pharmacy wearing hooded clothing, gloves, and masks while Kendrick reportedly waited in the car, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Surveillance video taken by Apollo Pharmacy allegedly shows that Carter, Lucious, and Penaldoza jumped over the counter and Lucious and Penaldoza brandished firearms, pointing them at employees.
Federal authorities say the suspects then allegedly grabbed employees and forced them to lie on the ground, while Carter allegedly went to the safe in the back of the store.
Signage inside a pharmacy. Four people suspected of robbing Southern California pharmacies this year were arrested by federal agents, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. (Susan Mortimer/The Epoch Times)
After an employee told the suspects there was nothing in the safe, Carter, Lucious, and Penaldoza allegedly fled to a getaway car reportedly driven by Kendrick.
Task force agents tried to arrest the suspects, when Kendrick allegedly fled in a vehicle and struck an unmarked law enforcement car, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
While law enforcement stopped the getaway car, a nine-millimeter pistol fell out of the car, according to authorities. All four suspects were arrested at the scene.
Carter, Lucious, and Penaldoza are not legally permitted to have firearms because they have all been convicted of multiple felonies in the past. All three were on post-release community supervision or parole at the time of their arrest, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.
According to the federal court affidavit, three of the four had lengthy criminal histories.
Carter was first arrested in 2003 for weapons violations. Since then, he had multiple felony convictions for robbery, burglary, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In his latest encounter with the law, Carter was arrested in Los Angeles County in September for felony evasion from police while armed with a pistol, according to the ATF. At the end of the pursuit, he barricaded himself in his car for more than an hour before surrendering to law enforcement, the ATF reported.
Carter was booked into the Los Angeles County jail and released on bail after nine days.
The day after Carter was released, the Newport Beach pharmacy was robbed, the ATF reported.
Lucious was released from federal prison a year ago. He was first arrested in 2014 and has since been convicted of carjacking, assault with a deadly weapon, and various firearms offenses.
Penaldoza was first arrested in 1999. Since then, he has been convicted of selling narcotics, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and participating in a criminal street gang.
The defendants each face a Hobbs Act violation charge for the crime of attempted robbery or extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce. The act is frequently used in connection with violent crimes and street gangs, along with public corruption and commercial disputes.
If convicted, the suspects face a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine for violating the Hobbs Act.
