A suspect accused of shooting and detaining a driver in the South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island parking lots broke a woman’s tooth with the barrel of a pistol outside a casino on Dec. 4, police said. He was arrested on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old South Los Angeles man committed at least three armed robberies and one attempted armed robbery in Orange and Los Angeles counties, according to a law enforcement affidavit filed with the complaint. Investigators with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said O’Shea Pollard would target victims who wore expensive watches or drove luxury cars, and would park them at upscale shopping centers. He was said to have been wandering around the parking lot.
The crimes occurred between August 25th and September 22nd.
According to prosecutors, around 11:40 p.m. on Aug. 25 in the parking lot of the Hustler Casino in Gardena, Pollard ran toward the victim, pushed him to the ground as he screamed for help, and stole his wallet. It is said that he pulled it. The man pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun and pushed the muzzle into the victim’s mouth, breaking her teeth, according to an investigator’s affidavit.
“If you scream again, I’ll kill you,” Pollard told the victim, according to the affidavit. After witnesses yelled at them, they allegedly took the victim’s money and fled in a car. Pollard is accused of accepting between $1,000 and $2,000.
Less than six hours later, two male suspects approached a taxi in the parking lot of Winchell’s Donut House in Carson, one of them pointed a two-tone semi-automatic handgun at the driver and relaxed. I told him to give me the money. and a wallet, according to the affidavit.
The driver told police he feared for his life and did not move, so the suspects punched him repeatedly in the face. One of the suspects got into a taxi and pointed a gun at the driver until he handed over his wallet and cell phone, the statement said. The stolen items were valued at approximately $560.
Surveillance camera footage from the scene shows one of the suspects wearing a metal bracelet on his right wrist and a dark tattoo on his left wrist, according to the affidavit.
That same night, at approximately 10:04 p.m., two suspects stopped a blue Kia Forte in the parking lot of Fashion Island in Newport Beach in front of two people who were standing near a Rolls Royce and a Ferrari. .
The owner of the Ferrari told police he became suspicious when the suspects approached him and returned to his car. Both suspects approached the owner of the Rolls-Royce, with one of them pointing a semi-automatic handgun at the victim and demanding “all the cash back!” Where is the cash? ” According to the affidavit.
The victim told investigators that because he feared for his life, he handed over his blue dial Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch, a brown Berluti wallet with the initials “KR” on it, and the keys to his Rolls Royce.
After the suspects robbed the driver of the Rolls-Royce, the driver of the Ferrari tried to leave, but one of the suspects ran to the driver’s side door and fired shots into the vehicle, according to the affidavit. He narrowly missed the driver. The victim still drove to a nearby gas station, where he asked the clerk to call the police.
Both suspects then fled in a Kia, investigators wrote. Newport Beach police responded to the mall’s parking lot and found a 9mm shell casing.
The value of the items stolen in the Fashion Island incident is estimated at $44,000.
At approximately 8:37 p.m. on Sept. 22, a man was getting into a Lamborghini SUV in the South Coast Plaza parking lot in Costa Mesa when a suspect pointed a semi-automatic handgun at him and said, Give me a ring, give me a car. ”
He repeated the statement several times and then said, I’m going to kill you,” the affidavit said. The suspect repeated this three or four times before shooting the victim in the left hand.
According to the affidavit, the man pointed a gun at the victim’s chest and said, “You’re dead.”
When the victim removed his watch, the suspect shot him again in the left thigh. The victim kicked the suspect, knocking him to the ground, then got out of the car and continued to kick the suspect, according to the affidavit. When the suspect got up, the two struggled for about 10 to 15 seconds before the victim got back into the car and drove away.
The suspect also ran to his vehicle, believed to be a blue Kia Forte, and drove toward Bristol Street.
Investigators obtained a search warrant and learned Pollard’s cell phone was located at different locations before and after the robbery and attempted robbery, according to the affidavit.
On October 16, Irvine police stopped Pollard for driving without a rear license plate and arrested him after they discovered he had a concealed firearm inside his blue Kia Forte.
Police also reported smelling marijuana and asked Pollard and his female passenger to get out of the Kia because they suspected they were driving under the influence. The affidavit says Pollard refused to identify himself to police and was combative and uncooperative.
While searching the Kia, police said they found a two-tone Glock model fifth generation 9mm pistol with a loaded high-capacity magazine in the floorboard behind the driver’s seat.
During the arrest, police also found Pollard’s black ski mask, which the victims reported he wore in at least two robberies, according to the statement. Police said a rose tattoo on the man’s left hand appeared to match the tattoo of the suspect who robbed a taxi driver outside Winchell’s Donut House.
Pollard was released from custody and a firearm found in his vehicle was test fired by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Investigators said the gun was manufactured with the same cartridges found at the scene of the Fashion Island robbery and the attempted robbery at South Coast Plaza. ATF analysis also determined that the gun found in Pollard’s car was the one used at both shooting scenes.
A search warrant obtained for Pollard’s Instagram revealed that he was wearing a metal bracelet that matched the one he wore during the donut shop robbery. Investigators were monitoring Pollard’s Instagram account and noticed that he posted two posts while appearing to be wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch with the same blue dial as the stolen watch. He said he confirmed it.
Pollard was charged with obstruction of commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act) and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. If convicted on all charges, he faces a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison.
The crime was investigated by the ATF Orange County Violent Crimes Task Force.
First Published: December 5, 2024 5:56 PM PST
