LOS ANGELES
Three Southern California residents have been charged in a federal criminal complaint with allegedly committing three armed robberies of a liquor store, gas station, and convenience store, according to officials.
The crime spree ended in the death of an innocent bystander in a fatal car accident while the defendants fled from police, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
The following defendants have been charged via a criminal complaint filed last Wednesday with Hobbs Act robbery and using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence:
- Kaelenn Maea, 26, of Long Beach
- Salagi Iakopo, 30, of Carson
- Mathew Salanoa, 23, of Placentia
Law enforcement is searching for Iakopo.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, the defendants committed three armed robberies from September 22 to September 29 in Downey, Compton, and South El Monte.
In each of the robberies, one of the robbers allegedly used a short-style rifle to control the cashier and customers. Another suspect took full cash registers or drawers before all the robbers fled in an SUV.
Specifically, on September 27, the three defendants allegedly robbed a Compton gas station.
One of the robbers, believed to be Salanoa, was caught on surveillance footage approximately 10 minutes before the robbery casing the store in preparation to rob it. The robbers left briefly before returning.
Another robber, believed to be Iakopo, grabbed and detached the cash register from the counter.
The final robber, believed to be Maea, pointed a rifle at the cashier and customers, preventing them from exiting the store.
The robbers allegedly stole approximately $1,500 inside the cash register and fled in a stolen Range Rover.
Two days later, two defendants, believed to be Maea and Iakopo, robbed a convenience store in South El Monte.
One of the robbers pointed a rifle at the cashier while the other robber stole the cash register drawer. In total, the robbers stole approximately $350 to $400. The robbers then fled in the stolen Range Rover.
On October 9, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies found the stolen Range Rover, which allegedly sped off and almost immediately hit another car, killing a civilian motorist inside.
The suspects then ran away, but deputies found Iakopo hiding in a trash can in the area, the affidavit alleges.
Deputies later found clothing believed to belong to Maea beside a small crawl space under a nearby house. Inside the stolen Range Rover, deputies found clothing, identification, and a cellphone believed to belong to Maea, according to the affidavit.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
If convicted of the charges, defendants face up to life in prison.
The FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are investigating this matter.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin J. Butler and Jena A. MacCabe of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this case.