Police in California arrested two South American nationals on Tuesday for allegedly stealing an expensive watch valued at about $1 million. In a bizarre twist, the authorities found a handgun that once belonged to cop killer Christopher Dorner in the suspects’ possession.
Law enforcement believes the two men are a part of a more widespread criminal enterprise.
An investigation into the armed robbery of a $1 million watch in Beverly Hills took a bizarre twist when authorities turned up a handgun that once belonged to cop killer Christopher Dorner.
Dorner was the former LAPD officer who went on a murderous vendetta against law enforcement in 2013 before he died in a fiery standoff in the San Bernardino Mountains.
Authorities on Tuesday charged two South American nationals with allegedly being part of a crime tourism group which stole a $1 million Patek Philippe watch from a man as he dined with his family on the patio at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Aug. 7.
On Aug. 10, law enforcement conducted a warrant search at the Airbnb where the suspects were believed to be staying. Among other items, they discovered a handgun that had been registered to Dorner.
One of the suspects was seen outside the Airbnb with Dorner’s gun in his hand, according to the criminal complaint.
The authorities allege that one of the suspects used the firearm to commit the robbery, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to the complaint affidavit, on August 7, the victim was sitting with his wife and two daughters on the patio of a restaurant at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, when Suspect 1 allegedly approached and pointed a black semi-automatic handgun at the victim. Suspect 1 reportedly pulled back the slide of the handgun, chambering a round. While Suspect 1 held the victim at gunpoint, Suspect 2 allegedly approached and removed a silver Patek Philippe watch, which is estimated to be worth $1 million, from the victim’s wrist. Both suspects then fled the scene and eventually entered a blue Toyota Corolla, where Sepulveda allegedly served as the getaway driver.
On August 10, law enforcement executed a search warrant at an Airbnb where the South American theft group had allegedly been staying. Security camera footage showed the group leaving the night before. During the search, officers found a handgun in a bedroom, which was registered to former LAPD officer Christopher Dorner, known for committing a series of murders before dying in a standoff in 2013. Later that day, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a Chevrolet Equinox and reportedly identified Sepulveda and Padron inside the vehicle. The Equinox was allegedly linked to another armed robbery in Beverly Hills on August 5, during which a $30,000 Rolex was stolen.
One of the suspects is being charged with one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to ABC 7. The other is facing a charge of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery. The authorities have not yet discovered how they obtained Dorner’s firearm.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jena MacCabe told reporters that investigators “were very surprised to find out about that gun, and we’re still investigating how that gun came into these defendants’ possession.”
Christopher Dorner, a former LAPD officer, terrorized the Los Angeles area in 2013 when he began a string of brutal murders, sparking Southern California’s largest manhunt in history. The killer was seeking revenge for losing his job after he spoke out about alleged corruption among several LAPD officers.
Dorner murdered four people before taking his own life during a standoff in the San Bernardino Mountains. He first committed a double murder in Irvine, shooting Keith Lawrence and his fiancée Monica Quan. Dorner explained his actions in a lengthy manifesto published online.
The killer’s actions put residents and police on edge. Dorner’s military training played a role in his ability to commit murder while evading law enforcement. He eventually made it to a cabin in the mountains where the standoff occurred. He engaged pursuing officers in a lengthy shootout before committing suicide when the cabin began to burn.
