SWR Robbery Suspect Held On $1M Bail, 1 Still At Large: Sheriff

LAKE MATHEWS, CA — A 20-year-old Perris resident was arrested on suspicion of committing a robbery in the Woodcrest area. A second suspect remains at large, according to officials.

Luis Talavera Huato was arrested Friday and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on pending charges of home invasion robbery, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and elder abuse. According to jail records, he was held on $1 million bail and was slated to answer charges Wednesday at the Riverside Hall Of Justice.

Shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday, Lake Mathews Sheriff’s Station deputies responded to a suspicious circumstance in the 15000 block of Washington Street in the unincorporated area of Riverside, known as Woodcrest.

"(They) entered his home, assaulted him, and tied him up before burglarizing the residence," according to Sgt. Patrick Montalvo. "The burglars fled the location a short time later, and the victim was able to free himself of the restraints and call 911, according to the sergeant, adding that the suspects allegedly removed several handguns and two vehicles during the robbery.

Paramedics and patrol deputies reached the house within minutes and the senior was treated for minor injuries but not hospitalized, Montalvo said,

Later that night, deputies in Perris spotted one of the stolen cars and summoned a sheriff's helicopter crew for assistance in following it. Montalvo said the driver, later identified as Huato, fled when the patrol unit signaled him to pull over, culminating in a westbound pursuit into Good Hope.

In the area of Old Road and Gumwood Court, the defendant lost control and plowed into a roadside fence, causing a fire in the car's engine compartment, the sheriff's spokesman said. Huato ran away and hid in the brush.

County fire personnel arrived moments later and doused the flames consuming the vehicle.

Deputies found Huato with the help of a K-9 unit and took him into custody without further incident. He wasn't injured. "The second suspect was not located," Montalvo said. "Investigators are still working to identify and locate that suspect."

Court records show Huato has prior misdemeanor convictions for illegal possession of a firearm in a vehicle and possession of a handgun in violation of California Department of Justice registration regulations.

Anyone with information on this case can call Investigator Mendoza at the Lake Mathews Sheriff’s Station at 951-272-5600.