4 accused of crime spree, including shooting man, in Whittier and Santa Fe Springs - The Whittier Daily News

The shooting of a man last week in Whittier was part of a mini crime spree by three adults and a 17-year-old boy looking to intimidate rival tagging crews, police said.

In addition to the shooting, two of the suspects allegedly robbed a teen of his skateboard in Whittier and one suspect allegedly brandished a gun at four boys in Santa Fe Springs.

When the suspects were arrested, officers recovered a gun and also found one of the suspect’s 2-year-old child in the getaway car. Whittier police Lt. Kent Miller said officers don’t know if the girl was in the car during the crime spree

A prosecutor on Tuesday charged Brian Samuel Baez, 19, of Santa Fe Springs with assault with a semiautomatic firearm, second-degree robbery and unlawful firearm activity, according to Sarah Ardalani, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

She said Anna Marie Ramirez, 23, of Lake Elsinore was charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm, child abuse and being an accessory after the fact, while Nancy Esperanza Lomeli, 22, of Riverside was charged with one felony count of being an accessory after the fact.

The three suspects were supposed to be arraigned Tuesday but it was continued to March 27 at Norwalk Superior Court.

Miller said a 17-year-old Whittier boy was charged with robbery, assault and brandishing a gun.

He wasn’t sure if the suspects are taggers, but police believe the suspects were looking for tagging crews to intimidate. It wasn’t clear if any of the victims belonged to a tagging crew.

Police believe the suspects showed up at the Santa Fe Springs Walmart, 13310 Telegraph Road, around 3 p.m. March 16. Miller said the suspects asked four boys if they were in a tagging crew. He said the 17-year-old suspect allegedly brandished a gun at the victims.

At 3:44 p.m., a 19-year-old man called Whittier police and reported someone tried to steal his skateboard near Whittier High School in the 12400 block of Philadelphia Street.

A car pulled up next to the man. The 17-year-old boy and Baez got out. They allegedly took the skateboard then threw it back at the victim. Baez allegedly brandished a revolver at the man during the robbery.

Eight people in their teens and early 20s became the next target. Miller said the teen suspect said something to the victims. Baez allegedly got out of the car and fired at the group, hitting a 24-year-old Whittier man in the back, according to Miller.

Officers checking a call of a shooting in the area of Philadelphia Street and Greenleaf Avenue found the wounded man in an alley near the 6700 block of Greenleaf Avenue. He was taken to a hospital.

Miller said police realized the robbery near the high school and the shooting were related. They later found out about the Santa Fe Springs incident.

A witness in the shooting gave officers a description of the suspects’ car and a license plate. That information was spread to other police and sheriff’s departments.

Deputies stopped the car in Pico Rivera at 4:33 p.m. Baez, Ramirez, Lomeli and the 17-year-old boy were arrested.

The teen is being held at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall. Baez remains in custody at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic on $1.2 million bail while Ramirez and Lomeli are at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood.

The bail for Ramirez is $2.3 million while bail for Lomeli is $87,000.

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