3 Suspected Gang Members Arrested in Stolen Car

COVINA, CA- Three suspected gang members were arrested Saturday in Covina after officers discovered methamphetamine and a loaded handgun in the stolen car they were riding in, police said.

Officers stopped the vehicle at 11:47 p.m Thursday near 1000 W. Cypress St. after they noticed it did not have a license plate. A records check of the vehicle's identification number showed the car had been stolen out of Las Vegas. The vehicle also had a bullet hole in the driver's door, according to Covina Police Department Sgt. Gregg Peterson.

The driver, Ricardo Castillo, 35, told police he had been shot in Baldwin Park about eight days ago, and a loaded handgun was found in the engine compartment of the car. The front passenger, Mary Leos, 26, was in possession of property that did not belong to her, Peterson said. The third passenger, Marco Villaneda, 35, allegedly had about 2 ounces of methamphetamine, Peterson said.

Officers at the scene determined that all three suspects were documented gang members and were coming from an area associated with narcotic sales and a recent spike in criminal activity.

They were each arrested on suspicion of unlawful taking of a vehicle, Peterson said. Castillo and Villaneda, both convicted felons, also are facing possible firearms charges.

Both men were being held in lieu of $35,000 bail. Leos, who was the subject of a felony arrest warrant, was being held without bail.

All three are due to be arraigned on Tuesday in West Covina, Peterson said.

Anyone with information about these crimes was asked to call the Covina Police Department Detective Bureau at (626) 384-5628 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS and refer to Covina PD case No. 16-09995.

— City News Service, photo via Shutterstock