NEWS RELEASE

UNITED STATES POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE

LOS ANGELES DIVISION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 20, 2009

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

Postal Inspectors Seek Help In Identifying Robbery

Suspect
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is seeking assistance in identifying the person or
persons responsible for robbing the driver of a U.S. Postal Service truck in Taft, CA. On
Friday evening, October 16, a lone male carjacked the truck when it stopped at the
intersection of Highway 119 while travelling eastbound on East Kern Road. 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 Road.

Postal Inspectors are seeking help from witnesses in a dark-colored sedan which was
stopped directly behind the truck at the time of the incident, about 5:25 p.m. 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 red 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.