Two Colombian nationals were arrested in California after an automated license plate reader flagged a stolen Mercedes-Benz connected to a violent carjacking. The vehicle, a 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300, was reported stolen on July 11 in Hawthorne, California, during an incident involving assault with a deadly weapon.
Days later, deputies received an alert from an automated license plate reader indicating the car was traveling through Rolling Hills Estates. During their search for the vehicle, deputies learned it had also been associated with a recent residential burglary in Torrance.
Deputies located the Mercedes and initiated a traffic stop. As the vehicle came to a halt, a passenger exited and fled, prompting deputies to establish a perimeter. The driver, identified as 26-year-old Yareht Pedraza of Bogotá, Colombia, was taken into custody at the scene. The passenger, 21-year-old Alan Pena Sabogn, also of Bogotá, was apprehended shortly thereafter. Authorities stated Sabogn was arrested on suspicion of failing to obey a lawful order, obstructing a peace officer, and providing false identification. He also had an outstanding felony warrant for burglary in Colorado.
Law enforcement officials highlighted the arrest as an example of technology, proactive policing, and inter-agency collaboration contributing to the swift identification and removal of suspects from communities.