The Los Angeles Police Department's Joint Organized Retail Crime Taskforce has managed to pin down the culprits behind a string of high-end thefts. Jahana Boyce, 25, and Andrew Ramirez, 27, both residents of Los Angeles, were collared for multiple retail thefts including a violent incident on August 31, when they allegedly stole strong-armed goods from a local business and left an employee seriously injured, the LAPD announced.
Tracing their crime spree, the LAPD's Commercial Crimes Division reported that the duo entered a store on the 8600 block of Avalon Boulevard, making off with pricey items and assaulting an employee who confronted them. The attack was so severe that the employee required surgical treatment, according to the LAPD's news release. The LAPD, alongside the Loss Prevention Officers from the victimized retail outlet, identified Boyce and Ramirez as suspects in four additional retail thefts within the city limits.
Further efforts by the LAPD disclosed that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) had previously nabbed Boyce, Ramirez, and three others during a covert operation on August 16. A collaborative case led to felony arrest warrants, with both Boyce and Ramirez slapped with multiple charges, including robbery, grand theft, and conspiracy.
Ramirez was apprehended on October 11 during a traffic stop where officers found a concealed firearm in his vehicle, while Boyce was snagged two days later under similar circumstances but with two firearms in his possession. Bail was set at $190,000 for Ramirez and $240,000 for Boyce. In the court's hands, Ramirez's guilty plea to a single robbery count got him five years in state prison, while Boyce, due to the additional great bodily injury enhancement on his robbery count, received a stiffer ten-year sentence, as detailed in the LAPD's press release.
For any inquiries, Detective Juan Campos of ORCTF is the go-to, with options to call, email, or leave an anonymous tip via L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers. As these suspects start their state prison sentences, the LAPD's vigilance against organized retail theft continues uninterrupted.
