San Juan Capistrano Carjacker Sentenced to Prison

A parolee and his girlfriend were each sentenced this week to state prison for assaulting and carjacking a Lake Elsinore man and leading sheriff's deputies on a brief pursuit that ended in a wreck last October.

Todd Timothy Kihm, 31, of San Juan Capistrano, and Jazmin Lopez, 23, of Lake Elsinore, pleaded guilty in February to felony charges.

Kihm admitted a carjacking count and sentence-enhancing allegations of committing a crime while on parole. In exchange for his admissions, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office dropped six related charges, including felony evading and auto theft.

Lopez admitted an assault resulting in great bodily injury charge, and in exchange, prosecutors dropped carjacking and auto theft allegations against her.

Superior Court Judge Helios Hernandez sentenced Kihm on Tuesday to eight years and Lopez to two years behind bars.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Todd Grimm, the pair were loitering in a parking lot in the 31000 block of Grape Street on the morning of Oct. 15 when a man at the wheel of a blue Ford Taurus drove up and parked.

Grimm said Lopez approached the victim, whose identity was not released, asking for a ride, and he allowed her to get into the front passenger seat. Moments later, the defendant pulled a knife and slashed the man across one of his hands, at which point he bailed out of the car, according to Grimm.

He said that Kihm jumped into the vehicle, and the two defendants sped away.

Deputies received a 911 call from the carjacked motorist immediately afterward, and patrol units swarmed to the location, spotting the Taurus as it entered Interstate 15.

Deputies pursued the sedan, which exited onto Collier Avenue a couple of minutes later, slamming into a Ford Focus at the intersection of Collier and Riverside Drive, according to Grimm. He said the Focus driver suffered minor injuries.

Kihm and Lopez made a run for it but were apprehended within seconds of fleeing the wreck.

— By City News Service. Image via Shutterstock.