Two individuals, identified as Jesus Soto-Parada and Daniel Pavon, have been federally indicted on charges stemming from an alleged series of violent armed robberies targeting convenience stores across Southern California. Soto-Parada, a 26-year-old deported to El Salvador during his alleged crime spree before returning and continuing his activities in the U.S., and Pavon, a 20-year-old Honduran national residing in Gardena, were arrested after a robbery on June 13, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California.

The indictment, which was announced on June 26, accuses the defendants of a total of eight Hobbs Act robberies, beginning on January 11 and culminating with their arrest in June. Court documents allege that Soto, Pavon, and their co-conspirators carried out heists while donning surgical masks, with one person brandishing a handgun to intimidate store clerks. They are accused of having stolen roughly $13,950 in cash and $7,415 in merchandise, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office. Not content to merely rob, the suspects reportedly worked too quickly to avoid detection, efforts that ultimately faltered on the day of their apprehension.

Soto and Pavon were detained after law enforcement conducted a traffic stop following the June 13 robbery in Gardena. Items reportedly recovered from the suspects include cash, blue medical face masks, a tracking device, a black replica semi-automatic handgun, and two long-sleeved black hooded sweatshirts. A clerk from the store in Gardena positively identified the pair as the culprits, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

If found guilty of the charges, Soto and Pavon could be facing up to 20 years in federal prison for each count of Hobbs Act robbery. The case represents the efforts of Operation Safe Cities to increase arrests, prosecutions, and convictions of recidivists involved in dangerous conduct. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Orange County Violent Crime Task Force is responsible for the investigation of this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Jena MacCabe and Caitlin Campbell are prosecuting the case, which is currently poised to proceed, with Soto's trial scheduled to begin on September 24.