A gun belonging to notorious former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner has been found in an Airbnb used by so-called crime tourists, officials said. Dorner was charged Tuesday with armed robbery of a $1 million watch in Beverly Hills.
Two South American nationals who authorities believe traveled to Southern California to commit crimes have been charged with robbing a man as he sat on the patio of a restaurant at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
During a search of the gang’s Airbnb, officers discovered a handgun registered to Dorner, who is known for committing a series of murders before he was killed in a heated standoff with police in 2013, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Dorner, seeking revenge for the loss of his job, went on a rampage against the police, killing four people before taking his own life.
It was not immediately clear where the suspects in the Beverly Hills case might have gotten Dorner’s gun.
Jamer Mauricio Sepulveda Salazar, 21, of Columbia, is charged with one count of obstruction of public commerce by robbery (a federal crime under the Hobbs Act) and one count of possession of a weapon in furtherance of a crime of violence; and Jesus Eduardo Padron Rojas, 19, of Venezuela, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit robbery under the Hobbs Act.
According to the affidavit in the complaint, the victim was sitting on the restaurant’s patio with his wife and two daughters on August 7 when one of the suspects approached him and pointed a black semi-automatic pistol at him.
The suspected shooter pulled back the pistol’s slide and loaded a cartridge. While the first suspect held the victim at gunpoint, the second suspect allegedly approached the victim and removed a silver Patek Philippe watch from his wrist, valued at $1 million.
Both suspects then fled the scene and eventually got into a blue Toyota Corolla. According to court documents, Sepulveda acted as the getaway driver.
On Saturday, police executed a search warrant on an Airbnb where the South American gang of thieves had allegedly been staying. During the search, officers found a handgun registered to Dorner in a bedroom. Later that day, police conducted a traffic stop on a Chevrolet Equinox and reportedly identified Sepulveda and Padron inside the vehicle.
The Equinox is believed to be linked to another armed robbery on Aug. 5 in Beverly Hills in which a Rolex worth $30,000 was stolen, prosecutors said.
If convicted on all counts, Sepulveda faces life in federal prison, while Padron faces up to 20 years, according to prosecutors.
Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies throughout Southern California believe brazen criminals from South America are using travel visas to enter the United States to steal money, jewelry and other items from homes and businesses.
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