The Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) announced three arrests in connection with 2021 robberies in the Business Triangle and other cities in Southern California. The arrests came about through a “comprehensive investigation by detectives of the Beverly Hills Police Department,” according to a press release, and involved coordination with multiple law enforcement agencies.
Members of the Beverly Hills Police Department’s SWAT team and Detective Bureau descended on the cities of Hemet, Banning, and Winchester on Feb. 10. BHPD conducted search and arrest warrants, taking three suspects into custody. The department received “vital support to the joint operation” by SWAT team members from Santa Monica Police Department, North Orange County, Riverside County, Hemet Police Department, Murrieta Police Department, and Menifee Police Department.
The following suspects were arrested for robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery: Jeremy Hays, 19, of Hemet; Christopher Mendez-Cantu Jr., 19, of Hemet; and an unnamed juvenile suspect, 15, of Banning. Hays and Mendez-Cantu were taken into custody and released on $100,000 bail, according to county inmate records.
The three suspects were responsible for a series of robberies in the Business Triangle, according to Lt. Giovanni Trejo.
“This crew is connected to robberies that occurred on Sept. 22, 2021, at 9:21 p.m., Oct. 8, 2021, at 10:28 p.m., Oct. 19, 2021, at 9:30 p.m., and Nov. 16, 2021, at 9:31 p.m. They’re also connected to numerous similar crimes in other cities,” Trejo told the Courier.
The Sept. 22 robbery took place on the 300 block of North Beverly Drive, the Oct. 8 robbery occurred on the 400 block of North Canon Drive, and the Nov. 16 robbery happened on the 9400 block of Brighton Way. Information on the Oct. 19 robbery could not be found immediately.
The search warrants yielded several pieces of evidence, according to BHPD, including a semi-automatic handgun which had been illegally converted to fully automatic.
The arrests happened through a multi-agency investigation that included Irvine Police Department, Brea Police Department, Riverside County Sheriff ‘s Department, Hemet Police Department, Upland Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff ‘s Department, Santa Monica Police Department, Menifee Police Department, Murrieta Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service.
Four additional suspects remain at large, all of whom have active arrest warrants for robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. That includes Darrell Skakhan Hollawayne, Jr., 21, of Hemet; Desmond Jay Hines, 20, of Winchester; Mahmoud Fathi Salah, 19, of Hemet; and Dmari Josiah Beed, 20, of Murrieta.
BHPD notes that further investigation may lead to additional suspects.
The department asks that anyone with information about the crimes call the BHPD tip line at 310-288-2656 or the BHPD Watch Commander at 310-285-2125. Additionally, anonymous reports can be made by texting 888777.
