Christopher Dorner's gun found during investigation into LA “crime tourism” group

LOS ANGELES (TND) — Two South American nationals accused of stealing a $1 million watch last week were found in possession of a gun linked to notorious former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner, authorities said.

Jamer Mauricio Sepulveda Salazar and Jesus Eduardo Padron Rojas were charged Tuesday in connection with the robbery. The two were helping to rob a man who was sitting in the restaurant at the Beverly Wilshire hotel last week when the suspects took the customer's Patek Philippe watch at gunpoint, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.

Sepulveda, who is from Colombia, is accused of serving as a getaway driver for the two men who robbed the customer on August 7 as he sat with his wife and daughters. One of the suspects allegedly pointed a cocked semi-automatic pistol at the man while another removed the watch from his wrist.

According to prosecutors, police later found surveillance footage of all of the suspects outside an Airbnb where they had been staying and searched the house on Saturday.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said that during a search of the Airbnb, officers found a gun registered to Christopher Dorner, a former Los Angeles police officer who killed several of his colleagues in 2013 before turning the gun on himself.

After the search, police allegedly found Sepulveda and Rojas, who is from Venezuela, in a car linked to another armed robbery of a $30,000 Rolex in Beverly Hills.

Prosecutors accuse the couple of being part of a “crime tourism” group. Sepulveda was charged with obstruction of trade by robbery and possession of a firearm to commit a violent crime. Rojas was charged with conspiracy to obstruct trade by robbery.

“We will not tolerate violent crimes committed by organized criminal gangs that exploit our country's freedoms,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a press release.

“Our first priority is to protect our community and those who undermine public safety will be held accountable. We should all be grateful for the swift action of law enforcement in arresting these suspects before they could cause even greater harm,” he added.

In March, the Los Angeles Police Department created a task force to crack down on groups that travel to the United States to rob wealthy residents.

“We're seeing a significant increase in burglaries by organized groups coming from outside the country and coming into the country,” Police Chief Dominic Choi said at the time. “They're targeting wealthy residents, and we're addressing that specifically in the form of a multi-agency task force.”

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