NEWS RELEASE

UNITED STATES POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE

LOS ANGELES DIVISION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 1, 2009

Contact: Postal Inspector Renee Focht, 626-672-5517

Reward of up to $50,000 for Robbery Suspect

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information
leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect(s) responsible for robbing the driver
of a U.S. Postal Service truck at the intersection of Taft Highway (119) and East Kern
Street in Taft, CA on October 16, 2009.

On Friday evening, October 16, at approximately 5:25 p.m. a lone male carjacked a
Postal Service truck when it was stopped at the intersection of Taft Highway while
travelling eastbound on East Kern Street. The suspect directed the driver to turn right
from the left-turn lane and head south to an abandoned hospital at the 100 block of E.
North Street. The Postal Service truck is a white 5-ton box vehicle with the words ”U.S.
Mail Transporter” appearing on the side doors and two Postal Service logos on the rear
door.

The subject is described as a male Hispanic, late teens to early twenties, approximately
5’ 11” and weighing approximately 165 to 175 pounds. He was wearing a black-hooded
sweatshirt with writing on the back, dark-colored khakis, and white and black tennis
shoes. The suspect was described as having short black hair with a short goatee and a
thin mustache.

The suspect’s weapon is believed to be a semiautomatic handgun; it has a silver-

chrome snub-nose with a dark grip. The suspect should be considered armed and
dangerous, and should not be approached.

A second suspect arrived in a vehicle at the abandoned hospital, but there is no further
information about the second suspect. The two suspects fled the area in an unknown
direction shortly before 5:46 p.m.

An armed robbery of a Postal Service employee is a federal crime, and first-time

offenders may be imprisoned for up to 25 years. The suspect faces additional state
charges for false imprisonment or kidnapping.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the City of Taft
Police Department. Anyone having information about the suspect(s) or this crime is
urged to contact U.S. Postal Inspectors at 877-876-2455, option 2. Callers may remain
anonymous.

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About the U.S. Postal Inspection Service

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is one of the oldest federal law enforcement agencies in the country. For
more than 200 years, Postal Inspectors have protected the U.S. Postal Service, secured the nation’s mail
system and ensured public trust in the mail. To learn more, visit https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov.