GLENDALE : 2 Accused of Robbery Plot Will Be Tried

A Glendale Municipal Court judge on Monday ordered two men to stand trial on charges stemming from a Halloween eve traffic stop in which police found ski masks, bulletproof vests and a cache of weapons in a vehicle, officials said.

After a more than two-hour preliminary hearing, Judge James Rogan ordered Emil Dechebal Matasareanu, 27, of Altadena and Larry Eugene Phillips Jr., 23, to appear for a Nov. 22 arraignment at Pasadena Superior Court, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Kimberly Bringgold.

Matasareanu and Phillips each face two felony counts of conspiracy to commit robbery and unlawful weapon activity.

Previous charges of felony grand theft auto against both defendants and felony perjury against Phillips were dismissed because of lack of evidence, Bringgold said.

If convicted, each could receive up to eight years in prison, she said.

The two men were arrested Oct. 30 after Glendale police spotted their 1993 Ford Thunderbird speeding on the Ventura Freeway near the Pacific Avenue off-ramp, testified Glendale Police Investigator Tom Kuh, the prosecution’s only witness Monday.

During a search of the Thunderbird, police recovered several weapons, including more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition and an AK-47 assault rifle. Also seized were a pair of ski masks, gloves, fake hairpieces and bulletproof vests, Kuh said.