Shaggy Bandit ID’d as Car Thief Who Shot Officer
Canoga Park. The day after Daniel Joseph Carver, 29, shot at two LAPD police officers, wounding one in the leg, detectives linked Carver to the Shaggy Bandit series of hold ups in the west San Fernando Valley.
“Carver’s DMV photo was a match to the Shaggy Bandit,” explained Capt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer of the Topanga Patrol Division. “A witness picked out his photo from among five other similar photos.”
Following the April 9 shooting where Carver ran from officers after he was seen driving a freshly stolen car with cold plates, detectives wondered why an apparent car-theft suspect would take such dire and extreme measures to shoot at police officers.
“The answer came in Carver’s criminal history and consciousness of guilt,” Capt. Vernon explained. “While the officers couldn’t know Carver was a career criminal and active serial robber, Carver knew that, and he didn’t want to get caught. On parole for robbery and with two strikes, he could go back to prison for a long time.”
The stolen car with a cold plate was one indicator of Carver’s guile, as was the possession of a gun by a twice convicted felon.
“No doubt, this man was on the prowl the morning of April 9 to pull another armed robbery. In fact, he was first noticed that morning by an observant officer in the parking lot of a Home Depot,” Vernon added. “Piecing together Carver’s recent criminal activities, while free on parole, gives us a rare glimpse into how the tentacles of a single career criminal can touch the lives of so many people: from the clerks at the post office and Game Stop, to the owners of the stolen car and gun, to the victims of burglaries he was under investigation for in two other jurisdictions, and most prominently, to the two young police officers he tried to kill, shooting one in the leg. They will be haunted by the memories forever!”
Anyone with information in this case is urged to call Det. Fernando Avila, Topanga Detective Division, at (818) 756-3520. Anonymous tips can be called into Crimestoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477), or by texting 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Online tips may be placed at www.LAPDOnline.org, click on “webtips” and follow the prompts.
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