Six people were taken into custody after a sprawling investigation into a suspected luxury car theft crew accused of operating across Los Angeles and Orange counties, with police seizing nine stolen vehicles and more than a dozen firearms in coordinated raids at 11 locations. Four of the six were ultimately hit with multiple felony counts, though the exact charges were not made public right away.
The Downey Police Department led the investigation, working in partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, according to MyNewsLA.com. The six suspects were arrested on suspicion of crimes tied to a carjacking and theft ring, Downey police said, with the broader case pointing to a crew authorities suspect was behind a string of high-value vehicle thefts throughout both counties.
According to KTLA, the crime spree began on or around August 7 and continued through September 22. None of the six people taken into custody were named in the police statement released Wednesday, and the station notes the exact felony charges against the four who were ultimately charged weren’t disclosed right away either.
Pursuits, a Carjacking and a Gun Pointed at an Officer
Investigators linked the crew to numerous stolen high-end vehicles and multiple police pursuits, along with a carjacking in the city of Downey. In one especially alarming incident described in the police account, a suspect allegedly pointed a handgun at a police officer during a traffic stop, per the same KTLA report…