PALMDALE – A Victorville gang member on early release from prison was arrested Tuesday afternoon after a 30-minute crime spree in Palmdale, authorities said.
Gilbert Lopez, a 25-year-old “San Fer” gang member, is accused of robbing a donut shop, attempting to rob someone in a grocery store parking lot, and burglarizing a Palmdale home, according to a press release from the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station. Read it below:
At [1:25 p.m., Oct. 22], Palmdale Station received a call reporting a robbery at a “Spudnuts” donut shop [in the 2300 Block of E. Palmdale Boulevard]. The suspect, reportedly armed with a handgun, ordered the clerk from the store and took the cash register. The suspect fled in a blue pickup truck.
About 20 minutes later, the suspect and vehicle attempted to rob a victim in the parking lot of a Stater Brothers’ market approximately two miles away [in the 37200 Block of 47th Street East].
Ten minutes after that, Palmdale Station received a call from a citizen at the north end of Chaparral Elementary school. The caller reported hearing glass breaking at a residence immediately north of the school on Wesley Court [37500 Block of Wesley Court].
Deputy J. Vezina responded to the residential burglary and saw the suspect and pick-up truck described in the previous two incidents. Deputy Vezina remained at a distance while coordinating additional responding units in a containment operation.
Palmdale Station desk personnel, realizing that Chaparral Elementary School was within the containment, called and directed an immediate student lock-down.
With the suspect between the deputies and the school, responding Palmdale personnel waited and watched from a distance to allow school staff to complete the lock-down. They could see the suspect loading items from the house into the truck. When the suspect entered the vehicle and began to drive forward, the waiting units responded and detained him at gunpoint. The suspect, a “San Fer” gang member, was taken into custody without incident.
A stolen cash register was found on the floorboard of the vehicle. The vehicle was determined to have been stolen earlier in the day in a carjacking in Los Angeles Police Department’s Foothill Division area.
The deputies swept the residence for additional suspects or victims and determined a burglary had been committed. The residents were not home but responded and confirmed a burglary had occurred.
Deputies found additional property in the vehicle which was possibly taken in other as-yet-undiscovered burglaries. No firearm was located. At this time, investigators believe the suspect only simulated a weapon during each of the robbery incidents.
The school remained locked down for approximately 15 minutes.
The suspect had been released early from prison as part of the Post Release Community Supervision program (AB 109). The primary charge for his prison commitment was assault with a deadly weapon, 245(a)(1) PC. The case is being handled by the Palmdale Station Operation Safe Street Bureau (OSS).
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Quigley says
Right on to all anonymous repliers!!
Whatever says
I wonder if he was released from the drop out gang yard in the prison on 60 th. He is probably to afraid and can’t go back home because he is not only a gang member but a snitch he needed to do something to het back into the loving care of the prison. Free food roof over you head,free medical and dental what more could a scum bag ask for
Jay says
Now if we would change our stupid drugs laws and release non-violent drug user into rehab and put these scums where they belong. That would be nice.
Lancasterresident says
Congrats to the early release program!!!
I see it’s doing it’s job…Getting the SOB’s out so they can return to their old law breaking ways that much faster….Post Release Community Supervision program should be proud !!!
Just wait till they hit up YOUR house or family!!!
Lynne says
Amen Lancasterresident, amen!
soapbox journal says
failure
Lynne says
Absolutely soapbox journal. You nailed the description of Prison Realignment with one word!
breakinmyhouseBANGBANG says
When you get out gilbert please break into my pad you see I am the one guy that understands you,Yea I know your grandma died and your really a good boy and mamas on dorkface defending yall n stuff so please stop by my house,Back the pickup right up there homeboy just sittin here waitin
sikntired says
LOL-dude had a busy morning, meth involved?
Good job Deputy Vezina and Palmdale Station who took the correct actions to protect the kids and still got the creep.
Never heard of the San Fer gang, do they not know how to spell the whole name?
sickofit says
What is the point of early release of these career criminals? So they can cause more pain and suffering on the community at large? C’mon Jerry Brown, how about actually implementing the death penalty to empty the prisons of our chronic tax burdens and make room for the next generation of losers like this guy and hundreds/thousands just like him infiltrating and defiling the communities in the AV? Better yet, how about setting up bounties on these losers? That might clear the scum out of here real quick.
ace says
Lets not forget he tried to make a school bus hit him on 14 freeway bus had kids on fieldtrip
Nick says
where did this information come from?
Katie says
It’s true. Two school busses leaving from Lombardi ranch from Eastside school district on the 14 fwy. He moved his car in front of the bus, put on the breaks and then put car in reverse He did this three times. He kept motioning for the bus to pull over. Parents in other cars got in between this guy and the bus. Finally he sped away. Then he committed the other crimes. My friends are teachers who were on the busses full of Kindergarteners. I am also a Kindergarten teacher in same school district. I don’t know why this has not been reported.
Whatwhat says
This sounds more serious than all the other crimes he commited.
Eyes Wide Shut says
I’m glad the Palmdale Deputies got this P.O.S. I wonder how much time he’ll spend in prison this time around.
anonymous says
You all need to get a life and quit making comments about other people like you have such perfect lives!..this could easily have been your son or daughter making these senseless acts.. so all of you are P.O.S
Yakkity yak says
Whoa… you need to take your own advice. If my kid even thought about doing that kind of crap, I’d dump his sorry behind at the sheriff station myself. Not every parent has P.O.S. kids like you do, apparently – we just have to put up with them. And you.
sikntired says
Spoken like a true lover of criminals.
SoCal says
Take your P.O.S. family and AB109 kids out of the A.V. Oh and take all of your gangster/criminal friends with you.
James Sosa says
This is why they shouldn’t let them out early! Lock this guy up and never let him out !!