A South Los Angeles man was arrested Wednesday on federal charges alleging his role in a series of armed carjackings and store thefts in which five vehicles and two large-screen televisions were stolen.
Sergio Macias, 22, is the fourth defendant arrested in the case. Also charged are Michael Anthony Fisher, 23, of Bell; Andres Silva Cerrillos, 19, of Buena Park; and Jesse Gutierrez, 19, of Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
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All four defendants are charged in Los Angeles federal court with one count of conspiracy to commit carjacking, plus various counts of carjacking, attempted carjacking, interference with commerce by robbery -- known as federal Hobbs Act robberies -- and firearms offenses.
"Violent gun crime tears at the fabric of our community and leaves victims with lasting trauma," U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. "These arrests and this indictment highlight my office's determination to use our powerful federal laws to punish those who callously risk the lives of others."
According to the nine-count indictment, Macias went on a crime spree last winter, mostly carjacking -- or attempting to carjack -- vehicle owners at gunpoint in Downey, Pico Rivera, Norwalk and Whittier.
On Nov. 15, 2023, Cerrillos and Gutierrez allegedly stole two large- screen televisions from a Walmart store in South Gate. They also threatened a store employee with violence as they were fleeing, prosecutors allege.
If convicted as charged, the defendants would each face a sentence of between seven and 25 years in federal prison, prosecutors noted.
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