Crime & Safety
'Armed, Dangerous' Riverside County Men Sought In Robberies
The four wanted suspects are from Hemet, Murrieta and Winchester. Three other suspects, a Banning juvenile and two Hemet men, were arrested.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — Three suspects have been arrested in Riverside County in connection with a series of armed robberies in Beverly Hills and surrounding cities, while four additional suspects from Hemet, Murrieta and Winchester are outstanding and should be considered armed and dangerous, police said Tuesday.
Detectives and SWAT officers from the Beverly Hills Police Department conducted arrest warrant operations in Hemet, Banning and Winchester on Thursday and arrested Jeremy Hays, 19, Ronald Christopher Mendez-Cantu Jr., 19, and an unnamed 15-year-old boy who were "believed to be responsible for a series of armed robberies in 2021 in Beverly Hills and other Southern California cities," according to the BHPD.
SWAT team members from the Hemet, Murrieta, Menifee and Santa Monica police departments, North Orange County and Riverside County provided support for the joint operation, which also included the Riverside and Los Angeles County sheriff's departments, the Irvine, Brea and Upland police departments, the FBI and the United States Secret Service.
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Authorities recovered several pieces of evidence allegedly connecting the suspects to the crimes during searches of their homes, including a semi-automatic handgun that had been illegally converted to full-automatic.
Hays, Mendez-Cantu and the 15-year-old were booked on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, and their bail was set at $100,000.
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A BHPD investigation into the robberies revealed there were four other suspects, who remain outstanding.
Arrest warrants were issued for 21-year-old Darrell Skakhan Hollawayne, Jr. of Hemet, 19-year-old Mahmoud Fathi Salah of Hemet, 20-year-old Desmond Jay Hines of Winchester, and 20-year-old Dmari Josiah Beed of Murrieta. Police said they should be considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information on the suspects' whereabouts was asked to contact the BHPD tip line at 310-288-2656 or the watch commander at 310-285-2125. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.
