2 arrested on suspicion of robbing postal carriers in LA and Riverside counties at gunpoint

Two men were arrested on suspicion of committing a series of armed robberies targeting United States postal carriers in Los Angeles and Riverside counties.

Shortly after 10:30 a.m. on March 24, Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of an armed robbery near Storke and Bertain drives in Palm Desert and found a U.S. postal carrier had been robbed at gunpoint, said Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Jeff Cryder.

The suspects were only described as a male armed with a gun who exited a vehicle occupied by an additional suspect.

An investigation from the Palm Desert Business District Team concluded that the suspects carried out more robberies and attempted robberies in Cathedral City and multiple cities in Los Angeles County, according to Cryder. The team identified the two suspects as Jose Estevan Chavarria Jr., 28, of Los Angeles and Luis Alberto Gonzalez, 32, of Victorville, in San Bernardino County.

An arrest warrant was issued for both suspects, and the U.S. Postal Inspector’s Office and Riverside County District Attorney’s Gang Impact Team collaborated to try to locate them, according to Cryder.

On March 28, Burbank police officers conducted an unrelated vehicle enforcement stop and identified the two suspects.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department took custody of the two men and booked them into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.

Chavarria’s bail was set at $1 million bail, and Gonzalez’s bail was set at $80,000.

Anyone with information about the robberies was urged to contact Deputy Granados of the Palm Desert Station at 760-836-1600.