Full Notification

TYPE OF CRIME: Robbery, Burglary

INCIDENT DATE: Tuesday, October 22, 2013

INCIDENT TIME: 1:25 PM

SUSPECT: Gilbert Lopez, 25, of Victorville

LOCATIONS: 2300 Block of E. Palmdale Bl, 37200 Block of 47th Street East, and 37500 block Wesley Court, Palmdale

***Palmdale Station Press Release***

NARRATIVE: At 1:25pm, Palmdale station received a call reporting a robbery at a “Spudnuts” donut shop. The suspect, reportedly armed with a handgun, ordered the clerk from the store and took the cash register. The suspect fled in a blue pick-up 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.

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.

Deputy 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 Sheriffs’ 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 case is being handled by the Palmdale Station Operation Safe Street Bureau (OSS). For any additional information, please call Sergeant Hess at (661) 272-2494.

***Palmdale Station Press Release***

Forwarded by
Sergeant Rich Peña
Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau - Newsroom
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
323-267-4800
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.lasd.org
LASD HQ Text and Emails: http://www.Nixle.com
http://nixle.com/lasd----hq-newsroom-shb-los-angeles-county-sheriff/
Twitter: @LASDHQ http://twitter.com/#!/LASDHQ
Twitter: @LASDtalk https://twitter.com/LASDTalk
Twitter: @LASDvideos https://twitter.com/LASDvideos
Twitter: @LASDesp https://twitter.com/LASDesp
Facebook LASD HQ: http://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesCountySheriffsDepartment
LASD Photos: http://pinterest.com/lacountysheriff/
LASD YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/LACountySheriff/videos?view=0

Partner to prevent or report crime by contacting your local Sheriff’s station. Or if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org

Leroy D. Baca, Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

To receive more detailed, up-to-date information via E-MAIL and/or TEXT directly from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), sign up for "Nixle" alerts at http://www.Nixle.com and register for "LASD – Headquarters Newsroom (SHB), Los Angeles County Sheriff" AND your local LASD station area. Or, to receive URGENT TEXT ALERTS ONLY, text your zip code to 888777. Standard text messaging rates may apply depending on your calling plan.